


Wait, Captain Levi!

by YustinaMishka



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animal Traits, Awkward Flirting, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Constipation, Eventual Smut, Excessive Cursing, Explicit Language, Fluff and Humor, Idiots in Love, Jealous Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), M/M, Matchmaking, Mates, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Eren Yeager, Slow Burn, Titan Eren Yeager, Titan Shifters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-10 05:13:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12292014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YustinaMishka/pseuds/YustinaMishka
Summary: Captain Levi was never a patient man and so was the entire Survey Corps. What happens when the rest of the group gets fed up with the awkward flirting between the two and finally makes it their personal mission to get them together?





	1. Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we finally get a glimpse of the age old waiting game that the captain and the shifter have been playing since day 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! This is my first ever attempt to write a Levi/Eren fanfic. There's going to be a lot of references from the manga, anime, and even visual novels throughout the story. I didn't really stick to a specific timeline so don't get too confused when you see dialogues or events that doesn't follow the sequence of the canon story.
> 
> Please enjoy!

Captain Levi Ackerman is not a patient man.

Every single one of the soldiers who had the unfortunate pleasure of training under the captain knew that the fastest way to kill yourself is by angering the five foot, three inches wall of anger and muscles. The new recruits who dared to slack off were often subjected to gruesome physical work that left them immobile for the rest of the night.

So it’s already common knowledge within the Survey Corps that a person simply does not make the captain wait. The terrifying warning had been branded into the back of everyone’s eyelids and God help the poor unfortunate soul who is stupid enough to break the rule.

Unfortunately for Levi, Eren seemed to be fond of breaking that rule.

"Damn brat.” Levi cursed to himself as he watched said titan brat compete with the local horseface named Jean Kirstein. It wasn’t that Eren Jaeger deliberately disobeyed orders and slacked off like the fresh recruits. What irked Levi to no end is that the younger was hell bent on making the captain wait for him to make a first move. The shy glances and stuttering could only go so far. Levi needed more than just the pathetic teenage whimpers if he was to respond properly because he’d be damned if he comes out as a creepy perverted old man who pounces on bratty soldiers with gorgeous blue green eyes. _Christ._

“Blue balls certainly isn’t a good look for you.” Hange stated airily as they dropped right next to the fuming captain. Luckily they were able to avoid the punch that would have knocked their teeth out, “Hah! Your fists will never touch me!”

“Tsk, what do you want shitty glasses?” Levi muttered as he resumed his position. The two of them were currently on top of a brick roof that conveniently had a nice view of the training grounds where the younger soldiers were taking a break.

“I just don’t get it, Levi!” Hange whined lowly as they creepily ignored the captain’s personal space, “You certainly won’t have a problem getting what you want. Some of the ballsy soldiers who has the nerve to pop a boner at your mere presence would most likely offer themselves to you without you having to lift a finger. So why don’t you just go for it?”

Levi’s angry frown deepened even more as he scooted away from the scientist freak, “Go for what exactly, dumbass?”

“Eren!” Hange shouted and unfortunately grabbed the attention of Eren’s group directly down from where the two officers were standing. Eren looked up and was surprised to see that Squad Leader Hange and Captain Levi were watching them from the rooftop. A warm blush spread across the titan shifter’s cheeks as he waved back a hello at the overly-excited Hange. Mikasa, on the other hand, glared at the captain for causing her adopted brother to blush. Thankfully, the rest of the cadets didn’t comment on anything and went back to their friendly banters.

“Fuck!” Hange screamed as they lost their balance due to a hard kick that was most likely done by Levi.

“The fuck is wrong with you, shitty glasses? You just had to get their attention and make us look like fucking stalkers. Are you shitting me?"

“Just tell him to suck your dick, Levi!” Hange smiled unapologetically as they watched Levi prepare to shoot his grappling hook to get away from his deranged friend. Levi honestly did not know how they became friends but maybe he was a bit insane too.

“Fucking clean your mouth, Hange. I’m not placing my dick anywhere near some brat’s dirty mouth.” Levi hissed and sped away to the next building where no soldiers would overhear the embarrassing suggestions spewing from Hange.

The squad leader was unrelenting and followed the shorter male to the next few buildings, still suggesting that Levi better make a move on Eren before the younger soldier decides to let someone else pop his cherry.

Hange squealed with glee when Levi physically pushed them against a wall and hissed that no one will fucking touch Jaeger if he has anything to say about it. Honestly, the stoic face of Levi was a bunch of bullshit and Hange was pleased that Levi is one jealous motherfucker.

“You two are hopeless! It would be a great opportunity for me to watch the mating rituals of titans—“

“You sick fuck.”

“—and then we’d find out if you two would have half-titan babies! Hey, can I watch?”

Levi growled and pointed a deadly blade, “You can watch from your damned titan pet’s mouth.”

Hange laughed and wheezed, “So that’s a yes! You kinky little minx! I knew we were friends for a reason!”

 

* * *

 

Armin glanced worriedly at Eren who was rather pleasantly distracted. The blond had to suffer through months of his childhood friend’s pining and it was getting a little frustrating since the titan shifter could not shut up about his captain.

“Eren, maybe you should just tell him what you feel.” Armin stated carefully as he inched closer to Eren.

The other visibly flinched at the suggestion, “What are you talking about, Armin!? I can’t just tell him stupid things like that! He’d slice into my neck before I could even get a proper rejection!”

“But you’re suffering and it’s not helpful to be distracted when we’re out in the field! What if something bad happens and you’re too concerned about the captain to notice anything?”

Eren heaved a heavy sigh. Trust Armin to dump him with a logical reasoning to guilt trip him into the next month. The truth was, Eren was trying to be subtle and figure out whether the captain would have any sort of reaction to his little flirting. Unfortunately, all that he got were questioning glares and passive gazes.

“But I don’t know what to do!” Eren whined, “He’s just so difficult to figure out sometimes. What if he doesn’t get—you know, romantically attached? What if all he wants is a good fuck?”

Armin raised a thick brow at his hysterical friend.

“I—I mean, damn it! I wouldn’t mind that part but I can’t just give him my body and pack up like nothing happened! I’m not even experienced!”

This time, Armin did not hesitate to show his discomfort and the blond shoved his face against his palms as he tried to control the crimson shade that burned his cheeks. Eren really didn’t have a brain to mouth filter and it doesn’t look like his maturity to the age of almost eighteen is going to make him grow one.

“Eren, you idiot! We don’t have to talk about that!” Armin screeched in distress, “and anyway, you won’t know what he wants from you if you don’t try! I’m not stupid, Eren. The captain might have the poker face of a deity but his longing glances never escape me. He obviously has some sort of interest in you”

“Y-you really think that?”

Armin rolled his eyes, “Of course! I saw him kick Squad Leader Hange when he thought we weren’t looking anymore. It’s obvious he didn’t want us to know that he was watching us or rather— _you_ in particular.”

Eren smiled to himself and a spark of determination lit up his eyes.

Armin was glad to see that he somehow convinced his friend that he had a chance with the captain. This would mean a lot of troubles but somehow, Armin is really curious to see what happens.

 

* * *

 

The next day, everyone stared dumbly as Eren jogged towards the captain while the rest of the soldiers packed away for lunch.

“Oi, does he have a death wish? Doesn't he know that we're already aware that he's a suicidal bastard?” Jean asked as he helped Connie with the stubborn wires that got caught in his maneuver gear.

Mikasa’s glare intensified as she watched Eren walk next to the captian.The brunet was excitedly and nervously telling the captain something which the older man simply nodded to. The blush that stained Eren’s cheeks when Levi replied something back to him caused the younger Ackerman to start stomping at their direction.

“Mikasa!” Armin pleaded, “don’t do anything rash! The captain won’t hurt Eren.”

“He better not!” Mikasa hissed, “I’d rip into that shorty if he touches Eren. I know what he’s up to, Armin. Why are you stopping me?”

Armin shook his head and dragged Mikasa away from the confused looks of the rest of their friends. Sasha was muttering something to Connie while Jean cursed under his breath as the hooks of the gear bit through his fingers. Krista and Ymir stared at Armin and Mikasa but said nothing.

“Why are you so opposed to the captain, Mikasa? I thought you two had some sort of camaraderie now.”

Mikasa’s impassive gaze broke into an angry frown, “I get that but that doesn’t mean I’d let him have Eren that easily. We both know that he basically worships the stump! He might do something that he will regret later on”

“Isn’t that something that Eren has to decide for himself?” Armin asked gently.

Mikasa relented slightly but muttered, “Eren is an idiot though.”

Armin smiled and arranged the red scarf that hugged Mikasa’s neck, “He’s our idiot and we should give him some credit. If the captain will make him happy then we should support him!”

The younger Ackerman smiled and nodded, “But if shorty gets too much then I’d bury him alive.”

“Sounds fair enough.”

 

* * *

 

Commander Erwin Smith shifted uncomfortably as he watched Levi personally train Eren in some hidden part of the training grounds. The commander had the unfortunate luck of having a view of what was currently giving him second-hand blue balls.

“I bet Eren would be pregnant if he was a girl.” Erwin muttered as he distractedly gathered some of the paperwork that was supposed to be finished by the end of the day. It doesn’t help that his office wasn’t completely soundproofed and that the two lovebirds decided it was a good idea to train in the secluded area which was a few feet away from Erwin’s office.

Hange cackled loudly as they packed a folder with more papers, “I keep telling him to hit that but what he keeps on doing is just literally hitting Eren. Poor kid is probably getting mixed signals!”

Erwin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “You’re encouraging Levi to get laid? Isn’t that a bit odd even for you?”

“Nonsense!” Hange waved, “I know our precious kitten can get whatever he wants but this is for the sake of love and science! You know how Levi is when he gets attached, right? Eren isn’t just some good lay for the guy! Wouldn’t it be great to see them together!? What if they were destined mates?”

Erwin laughed at his friend and stepped away from the window before he loses his patience and personally order them to resolve their sexual tension. “Does this have something to do with your theory about titan intelligence and the potential for them to have mates?”

Hange grinned widely and nodded.

A twinkle of interest sparked in Erwin’s eyes. He had to admit that life in the military could get repetitive at some point and it wouldn’t hurt to finally see a difficult man like Levi finally let go of his walls. Eren’s stubbornness and determination will surely bring out a better Levi. The captain would be more motivated and his protectiveness would increase which would certainly benefit everyone. Pushing Levi to his best potential always seemed to please the commander.

“Then here’s a mission,” Erwin breathed in, “make sure to bring out the best results out of the titan mates.”

Hange almost punched the ceiling with excitement and glee. The both of them knew it wasn’t really a mission but rather a clear agreement between close friends that they would help their grumpy friend find peace in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changed some details because this fic will have no angst whatsoever. Eren won't really do anything too mature for the first part of the fic and when we get to the interesting part... he'd be already 18 so no underage whatsoever blah blah. But honestly, they're not technically minors in the canon universe because they're soldiers. I changed the age gap a bit to give us a bit of space for more things to happen. No one dies and no one is dead! (Except Marco, sorry Marco)


	2. Experiments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hange tries to discover if Eren's titan form can express emotions towards a potential mate

“Your form is absolute shit, Jaeger.”

“Sorry, captain!” Eren wheezed as he tried to balance himself again but the wires just weren’t cooperating well with him today. It wasn’t helping that the straps of his gear were biting into his skin and rubbing it raw under his uniform. He’d sure have nasty marks tonight.

Levi grumbled inaudibly and Eren tensed under his gaze. The younger soldier was sure that he was making a fool out of himself than actually getting closer to the reclusive captain. The boy sighed and shot his hooks towards the ledge of the training tower again and prepared his body to zip up fast and twirl midair.

It was insanely difficult but Eren was more stubborn than ever. The brunet successfully flew up into the air and prepared to swing his body until a telltale snap broke his focus—

“Shit!” Eren screamed before he felt himself falling dangerously fast. Levi was quick to notice the loosening of the hooks before the wires completely gave in. He was gone in a fast blur as he swung his solid body towards the flailing boy. Thankfully, the captain got to Eren fast before the idiot broke anything.

“What the fuck was that? I told you to properly time yourself, not throw your ass into kingdom come.” Levi hissed as he pressed the boy closer to his body to avoid having the both of them thrown off the huge ass tree that he landed them in.

Eren looked visibly embarrassed and mumbled an apology. Honestly, the kid was going to be the death of Levi with his beautiful glazed eyes and warm cheeks. The younger soldier’s body temperature was pleasantly warm as well and Levi felt a bit weak because wow, fuck everything. This idiot just had everything Levi wanted. And he cleans well too! _Damn_.

“I’ll try harder this time, sir!” Eren pleaded but Levi shook his head.

“Overworking your body is as dumb as flinging yourself against the wall, kid. Go stretch and get some rest before you snap a limb.”

The brunet frowned deeply but nodded. Levi didn’t really understand why Eren was so desperate in learning the insanely advanced maneuvers that were clearly out of his level. It wasn’t that it’s bad to be ambitious but the kid is going borderline suicidal at a new level.

“Oi, brat” Levi grunted, “Why are you so persistent about this? We’ve been training for almost a week and your progress has been shit. Are you trying to prove something?”

“No! I mean—“ Eren wavered and hesitantly pulled away, “I just can’t be dependent on my shifting, sir. I figured I’d be a lot more useful if I can be really good at both the maneuver gear and shifting.”

Levi made an impressed sound and nodded, satisfied with the explanation. The shifter really is a force to be reckoned with.

“Hey, you two!” Hange shouted from below the tree they were sitting on, “Wow! You two are way up, aren’t you? Isn’t it a bit cold up there? You should probably cuddle with Levi, Eren!”

Levi shot them with a killing glare as Eren stuttered pathetically and scrambled further away. The freak really knew how to kill the mood but Levi was more skilled in killing real life people who didn’t know when to stop yammering and cock-blocking.

“Shouldn’t you be somewhere else, shitface?” Levi asked as he zipped down the tree with his maneuver gear.

Hange grinned and shifted from side to side, “I just got permission from Erwin to start on a new experiment today! I need to borrow both you and Eren for it, of course!”

Levi raised a brow; normally, Erwin didn’t like impromptu experiments since it always ends up with cramming a lot of materials and deploying men on the spot. Levi was about to extensively question Hange when Eren suddenly jogged from behind him and stood pleasantly right beside the captain. Levi was certainly getting used to the warmth.

“What experiment are we doing today?” Eren asked enthusiastically.

“You’re not going anywhere, brat” Levi grumbled, “Your muscles are still sore so drop and get to stretching before the freak takes you.”

Hange cackled and waved them a goodbye, telling the pair that they’d be waiting at the far side of the Survey Corps property to start with the experiments. Eren nodded and got to stretching but was failing miserably since everything in his body hurts like hell.

“You’re even shit at stretching.”

Eren groaned in distress as he tried to reach for his right leg but the limb just can’t get any higher. The captain watched with an amused gaze as his subordinate flailed and grumbled tons of curses as his joints popped and ached.

Taking pity, Levi knelt in front of Eren and took the shaking leg between his warm hands. Eren gasped as he pressed himself harder against the ground when Levi pushed the leg towards his upper body. The teen can feel the line of warmth from the captain’s body as it was pressed against Eren’s leg. Eren’s brain short-circuited as Levi’s thigh was conveniently positioned right in front of Eren’s arse and crotch.

“W-Wait!” Eren panicked.

Levi stared at him impassively but forced himself to stop. This brat really loved to make him wait but it’s not as if he’ll push the boundaries without consent. No, Levi was definitely better than that. Though he internally hoped that Eren would pace this a little faster; Levi was not getting any younger.

“Are you sure about this, captain?” Eren asked hesitantly.

Levi was certain that he was more than sure about this but he can’t help but be confused. It’s just stretching, right? Although the captain is pleased with the view of Eren under him and stretched out beautifully, it’s not like the action is too intimate. Fellow soldiers usually give a hand to each other when it comes to stretching.

“What are you talking about?” Levi sneered, “If you want to be sore until tomorrow then be my guest. At any rate, even with your freak healing, you can’t even walk straight to the other side of the goddamned grounds so shut up and let me help you.”

Eren gulped audibly and nodded as he allowed his captain to manipulate his body into tight stretches. It took a lot of willpower for him not to physically react to Levi being so close. Eren tried to imagine filthy titans in granny slippers to stop himself from getting hard.

“That’s enough for now,” Levi sighed. “We better get to Hange before they physically drag us. I don’t like their filthy hands getting on me.”

“Yes, sir!” Eren responded and got to his feet quickly before following the captain.

 

* * *

 

“Levi! So glad you’re finally here! I thought you were too busy doing something else!” Hange greeted as they jogged towards the pair.

“You’re too damn loud, shitty glasses.” Levi grumbled and stared at Moblit, “I told you to bring a leash next time we’re experimenting”

“I apologize! I don’t think the leash is going to do much though.” Moblit answered apologetically as he forcibly transferred Hange away from prodding Eren too much. The younger soldier looked a bit uncomfortable but didn’t voice his protest that much since he has been used to Hange being this way.

“Alright! It’s time to do some speed test and check if you can follow orders perfectly. You can change anytime you’re comfortable, Eren. I’ll give the instructions once you’re in titan form” Hange stated as they scribbled furiously on a clipboard. Eren heaved a heavy breath and concentrated on a goal.

_‘Kill all the titans! Follow your superior’s orders!’_

A blanket of steam erupted from where Eren stood and Levi felt the moment that the other assigned soldiers tensed. The captain found it pathetic that they’ve been doing this for years but they still can’t get used to Eren’s powers. Their instinct to equate a titan as danger can never be battled with, apparently.

Hange squealed loudly and shivered like a disgusting dog. Levi was pretty sure they creamed their pants every damn time a titan appears and it disgusted the captain to no end.

“Oi, quit ogling and get to ordering the giant brat.”

Hange broke from their trance and walked up next to the fifteen meter titan. The exercise was simple: get to the tower as fast as he can. First was walking, then jogging, and lastly running in titan form. Eren’s titan nodded and Hange cheered.

“Alright, we’ll be timing you! Someone from the other side will send a flare to confirm that you made it to the other side! Good luck!”

Eren’s titan was considerably fast at all the exercises but that wasn’t the main goal of Hange.

“Are you sure about this?” Moblit asked nervously, “It could get messy if anything goes wrong.”

Hange laughed and patted the blond roughly, “Come on! All experiments could end up that way. It’s going to be fine!”

When Eren’s titan finally returned, Hange sped to him and babbled about having a twist in their next exercise. Levi shuddered as he heard his name being repeated over and over again by the deranged scientist.

“There’s no way in hell I’m participating in your experiment” Levi protested.

“Don’t be like that!” Hange whined, “All you have to do is to stay on the other side. How hard can that be?”

Eren’s titan made a worried purring sound and Hange cooed, telling the teen that Levi wasn’t going to get hurt and it was only a test. Internally, Hange was fist pumping because even in titan form, Eren was still very protective of Levi. The titan probably had an increased sense of protectiveness judging by how the fifteen meter butted its nose against Levi in apology for being dragged into the experiment.

“It’s fine, Eren” Levi assured him. “I’ll cut the shitstain if they so much as dirty my uniform.”

Levi took the offered horse and was escorted by a soldier to the other side of the grounds. All the while, Eren’s titan made strange uncomfortable noises that made Hange grin even wider. The squad leader tried to distract Eren from noticing anything that’s happening on the other side when a cloud of smoke and a red flare suddenly shot towards the sky.

Eren roared in distress.

“Oh no—“ Hange gasped, “something must have went wrong!”

Eren continued to make distressed sounds as he looked down as if to ask the squad leader if he can bolt to save the captain.

“Get to him, Eren! And fast—“

Before the squad leader could finish their sentence, Eren pushed forward in an alarming speed that shook the entire grounds. Hange fell roughly on their ass with a loud laughter as everyone watched Eren’s titan run faster than any titan they’ve ever seen.

“Moblit! Did you see that!? Shit, where’s my—“

“I’m already timing it” Moblit smiled tiredly and helped Hange back on their feet.

“Did you see his eyes!? And his skin! It was burning hot like there were trails of coal! He was fast as fuck too! This is groundbreaking!”

 

* * *

 

Levi sat uncomfortably on one of the fallen pillars of the tower. He was told that the huge smoke and the red flare were part of the experiment but the captain still felt uncomfortable. Red flares usually rubbed all of them in the wrong way since it meant danger. _What the hell was Hange thinking?_

The captain was awoken from his thoughts when the ground suddenly shook heavily and the image of a speeding titan came into view. The soldiers beside him tensed with fear but Levi made them shut up with a glare.

Eren won’t harm anybody.

However, the titan didn’t seem to slow down and the younger soldiers were getting restless. It would be a problem if one of them is trigger happy and decided to attack Eren. The captain stood and placed his hands atop the handle of his blades but didn’t really plan on using it. It was just a show for the other soldiers to assure them that Humanity’s Strongest won’t go down easily.

The titan skidded into a stop and covered the entire tower with dirt and smoke. Levi found himself nestled between warm titan hands and a worried face that was definitely screaming Eren. The captain gazed at the expressive golden eyes and planted his palm on top of Eren’s nose, “You did a good job making them piss themselves, brat. Not bad”

Eren’s titan made a loud happy sound that both of them didn’t notice the green flare that shot up to the sky.

 

* * *

 

Eren walked slowly back towards the main site so that he would be at the same pace as the other soldiers riding their horses. Captain Levi led the team with an annoyed face as he was covered with filthy dust. He’s going to have to gut Hange alive when he gets the chance.

“Eren! My sweet little boy! You did so well!” Hange cooed as soon as Eren’s titan came into view.

Eren dropped to his knees and allowed the squad leader to rub the bridge of his nose but a tired yawn escaped the titan.

“Whoa! Titans yawn too! Moblit write that down!” Hange shouted.

“Want to explain yourself, shitty glasses? Eren almost barrelled us to our deaths and the kid looked like he was almost ready to rip someone’s face out” Levi grumbled irritably as he grabbed Hange’s collar and forced them to face him.

“That was titan instincts, my friend!”

Moblit shrugged at the questioning captain, “I don’t have much idea too, sir.”

“You do know this means that you’re going to be a consistent variable in our experiments now!”

“Fuck you, Hange. You owe me.”


	3. Titan Presents and Conspiracies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's titan is acting strangely and everyone is given a chance to react. Hange also loves to run their mouth so patience is an absolute necessity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be largely focused on how other people sees the relationship of the captain and Eren so there's really not much interaction between them here except for stories of how the other characters see them.

The front gates of the Survey Corps buzzed with activity as soldiers piled around in anticipation for the arrival of Commander Erwin. The trip of the commander to the inner walls took three days and there were rumors that he would bring with him new supplies and an improved ration of food.  
  
Captain Levi watched impassively from a safe distance as Hange walked through the crowd of young faces and directly stopped in front of the gates. The squad leader has been vibrating with energy since the last week of experiments and they’d been squealing that Erwin definitely needed to know the results as soon as possible. Levi didn’t understand, of course.  
  
A loud sneeze ripped from the captain that made the short man scowl even more. Damn Eren and his shitty titan brain. The gigantic brat of a titan decided it was funny to pick up wildflowers and shove it to the captain’s face. Hange was too absorbed by Eren’s control over delicate things like flowers but the captain had been severely pissed because he couldn’t stop his sneezing. _Dandelions can go fuck themselves_.  
  
Eren wasn’t even supposed to be a titan today because the experiments were over. Unfortunately, they had idiots for recruits and officers, and a major structure in the training grounds got knocked down. Eren’s titan was assigned to put it back into place but the brat had other ideas after following his superiors. Levi didn’t know what to feel about the little shit.  
  
“Erwin! Thank Sina, you’re back! Quick! I need to talk to you” Hange shouted from a distance as the commander and his convoy came into view. The younger soldiers let out happy gasps as a caravan followed Erwin and his group.  
  
“Let me catch my breath, Hange” Erwin laughed as he dismounted.  
  
“It’s about the experiment!” Hange giggled obnoxiously. “You should have been here! It was hilarious and our theory might be one hundred percent accurate if this continues! I need your ass in the office before Levi kills me, asap!”  
  
“You’re damn right, shitty glasses” Levi hissed as he glared at the squad leader like he was about to stick a knife down their throat. Hange squeaked and scuttled away from the menacing captain which only caused Erwin to laugh. The commander missed this kind of banter. The high-ranking officials were always a sort of a bore compared to the soldiers.  
  
“Damn, Levi!” Hange groaned. “How did you get here so fast? I didn’t even see you were near!”  
  
“I’d have to kill you if I told you”  
  
“Alright, you two, no murders in the site as long as I’m present,” Erwin sighed. “We should head to my office so we could all discuss our concerns.”  
  
“Fucking shower first, shitwin”  


* * *

  
“You what!?” Armin laughed heartily as Eren sputtered in embarrassment.  
  
The brunet kicked his friend’s boots and whined, “It’s bad enough that I have vague memories when I transformed! I don’t know why I kept doing that to the captain!”  
  
Armin wheezed and tried to control his breathing. “Well, it’s interesting that your titan form is more honest about feelings more than you! I can’t believe you’ve been shoving useless stuff to him! It must have looked adorable, Eren”  
  
“No, it’s not!” Eren cried. “I think he’s pissed at me because he kept sneezing his face off earlier. I didn’t mean to make him sick like that!”  
  
“Good job, Eren” Mikasa half smiled as she approached the two and sat down on a fallen log.  
  
Eren rolled his eyes and huffed angrily, “I’m sure you’re genuinely happy about that, Mikasa.”  
  
“I’m a perfectly honest person, unlike you” Mikasa retorted as she watched the rest of the group stumble and head to their resting place. It would take only a few minutes before it was time for them to clean the stables and the group wasn’t entirely too excited about the chore.  
  
“What are you guys arguing about this time?” Krista asked sweetly.  
  
“Eren’s titan has been behaving strangely and he’s scared that the captain might be mad at him”  
  
Krista made a soft thoughtful sound and shook her head, “I don’t think the captain will ever be angry at you, Eren. He seems fond of you even if he thinks he’s being subtle about it.”  
  
Eren blushed bright red and was about to deny what Krista said when Jean suddenly butted in rudely and sneered at the brunet like he stepped on something filthy.  
  
“I didn’t think titans could pop boners around murderous soldiers.”  
  
“Shut up, horseface!” Eren shouted. “You’re a fucking barn animal and you don’t get to have a say in this!”  
  
“Ohoh? Really? Fucking make me, Jaeger!” Jean taunted haughtily as he loomed over Eren with a snarl.  
  
It was all playful banter between the two because they’ve practically matured but the group still gets a bit nervous that it will be a full blown fist fight. Mikasa glared at the two for being massive idiots and the pair visibly wilted.  
  
“You should really just tap that, Eren” Ymir whined as she draped herself over Krista. “The unresolved sexual tension is stinking up the place and we’d appreciate if you two just fucked it out.”  
  
“Ymir!” Krista chided.  
  
“What the fuck?” Jean cried. “Eren actually wants the captain’s dick up his ass? You’re more than suicidal, man. The hell is wrong with you? Is no one going to comment on how insane and fucked up this is!?”  
  
Ymir quirked an unimpressed brow, “You mean you didn’t notice that, Kristein? You’re as oblivious as Eren. They’ve been dancing around each other like morons for years now!”  
  
Connie looked slightly confused but was starting to get the idea while Jean looked like he was about to have an aneurysm. Sasha, on the other hand, was grumbling about how Eren should just sleep with the captain so he’d have more access to the food supply.  
  
“I’m not sleeping with him for the sake of food or favors! Cut it out!” Eren burst angrily.  
  
“Oh, wow. Puppy eyes got it real bad” Ymir smirked. “Next thing you know, we’d have an Ackerman-Jaeger wedding in our midst.”  
  
“Are we done talking about feelings because we really need to get to the stables before the captain sees we’re slacking off. I don’t want to run twenty laps around the training grounds, guys” Connie whined as he dragged Sasha off from her seat.  
  
“Twenty laps?” Sasha groaned. “Twenty laps only if the captain is in a good mood! He’d make us do a hundred if he gets really pissed! Hey, Eren! Make sure to always stick with us so he won’t get too mad, okay?”  
  
“Who’s going to get mad?”  
  
Everyone comically jumped at the booming voice that even Sasha and Connie switched into a fighting stance that was embarrassing rather than intimidating. The group let out a huge sigh of relief when they noticed it was only Reiner and Bertolt. Who knew what would happen if it was the captain who heard them complaining about him? There wouldn’t be enough mops to clean up their blood.  
  
“Thanks for the mini heart attack, bastards!” Jean growled at the two. “What are you two even doing here? I thought you were picked out to accompany the caravan.”  
  
Reiner laughed and explained that they just arrived with the supplies and the officers tasked them to find more manpower to carry the respective equipment and food to their proper places.  
  
“Basically, we’re all going to be glorified pack mules!” Reiner snickered as Bertolt stood apologetically at his side.  
  
Eren stretched from his seat and stood up with a slightly disinterested look, “Well, you guys can go. I’ll stay at the stables since we still have to finish that chore or else the captain will have our asses.”  
  
“That’s our boy, Jaeger!” Ymir wolf whistled. “Already ripe to be the wife of the captain! Come on, Krista! Carrying stuff is much better than shoveling horse crap!”  
  
The rest of the group piled away, leaving behind Armin and Mikasa to fend off for Eren. The trio got to work fast so that they’d still have a chance to get a peek on the new equipment that was given to the corps. The promise of a good shower before having dinner also motivated the three soldiers well.

“Hey, Eren” Armin started.  
  
The brunet hummed a confirmation that he was listening but still didn’t stop from piling up the hay properly. Armin stared at his friend as he contemplated if it was fine to say what he was about to comment.  
  
“I’m glad your titan wasn’t on stable duty.”  
  
“What?” Eren and Mikasa stared at the blond in confusion.  
  
A devilish grin appeared on Armin’s face, “Because we wouldn’t want you to shove horse dung to the cap—YUCK! EREN! YOU’RE SO IMMATURE!”  
  
Mikasa barked out a laugh as Eren continued to threaten Armin with the haystack that had horse shit on it. The two continued their pointless play until the telltale footsteps of the captain could be heard.  


* * *

  
“Your skills in purposely trying to bore people are positively occult, Erwin!” Hange laughed as they shifted in their not-so-comfortable seat. The blasted couch was biting through their backs the entire time the commander was talking so it provided an extra push for Levi to finally give up and walk away from the office. Of course, Erwin purposely made the topic boring as possible to get the captain out of the way.  
  
“I’m not sure if that was a compliment or an insult, Hange.” Erwin laughed as he pulled away the folders on his oak desk and tidied it of the scattered mess that received the most murderous glare from Levi. “Will you be reporting to me now or are we still going to talk about my amazing skills at being uninteresting?”  
  
“Bless our hearts, Erwin! The experiment week was incredible!” Hange squealed. “There’s a huge possibility that Levi is Eren’s chosen mate and he’s trying to woo him!”  
  
Erwin quirked a brow and motioned for the squad leader to continue.  
  
“Okay, so get this, the behaviour of Eren’s titan drastically changed recently. During our previous experiments, the boy was determined, yes, but this time there’s an extra push when it comes to his actions! In our first experiment, Eren showed signs of increased speed and aggression when he thought that Levi was in danger!”  
  
“Hange, how in the wall’s name did you manage to get Levi involved in all of this?” Erwin chuckled.  
  
“It was a bit of a trick, you see! I just told Levi to sit somewhere far away and then we staged an accident. It was glorious! Eren’s titan form changed into a more powerful and aggressive look. From then on, Eren started acting weird!”  
  
“By weird you meant?”  
  
“Eren started giving Levi these small things! It started from shiny stones then escalated to fruits and even dead birds! Levi was thoroughly disgusted by the last bit but it was so cute!” Hange squealed as they pranced around the office trying to re-enact the whole scene. “It’s obviously similar to the courting ritual of animals! I think it’s even mixed with how people court each other too since Eren picked flowers for the little guy.”  
  
Erwin choked on air and motioned for Hange to get him a glass of water. The squad leader laughed all the way but thankfully the pitcher and spare glasses were just on the coffee table. The Survey Corps would rest easy to know that their commander won’t die because he choked on the idea of Levi receiving flowers from a fifteen meter titan.  
  
“So what do you think changed?” Erwin wheezed as he tried to cough out. “What exactly did you do to provoke Eren to court Levi? It’s not as if he couldn’t have done that before.”  
  
Hange contemplated on the matter. In all honesty, the same question has been nagging the squad leader for several days. There wasn’t much data on Eren’s brain activity and it was strange that the behavior came out so suddenly.  
  
“You know, I was thinking that the staged accident triggered something in Eren. We all know that he needs a goal to transform, right? What if Eren’s goal isn’t just completely on eradicating titans anymore? What I’m saying is that it’s possible that our little titan might finally be getting honest about his feelings that it’s showing in the behavior of his titan.”  
  
“It would be problematic if Eren is too focused on Levi though...”  
  
“No, no!” Hange explained hastily. “There must be several events that happened to Eren to trigger his mating instincts and now it mixed with his original goal. It’s obvious that wooing Levi wasn’t the only thing in his mind when he was a titan. The added good news is that the more Eren has goals, the more powerful his titan becomes! It’s like he’s evolving together with his conviction!”  
  
“If only they’d get along better in human-to-human interactions” Erwin sighed. “I am not prepared to watch them dance around each other for the next few weeks until the coming expedition. I might actually die from stress than get eaten by a titan.”  
  
Hange grinned and sat on the commander’s desk much to the latter’s annoyance, “I don’t think it’s going to be much of a problem, Commander brows! My senses are telling me that Eren’s little friends are starting to get annoyed with our predicament as well. The captain’s squad might also be handy soon!”  
  
Erwin laughed at the deranged look of Hange, “I feel like you’re the true manipulator in this room. Well done, Hange. You have my permission to operate but make it fast. Levi is not as dense as Eren.”  
  
“Yes, sir!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi's squad will finally make an appearance in the next chapter and it will be filled with unresolved sexual tension, confusion, and humor!


	4. Food Porn?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Petra is skilled in not only titan killing but also in matchmaking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's so much UST in this chapter that I'm having blue balls and I'm not even a guy. It's also longer than the other chapters as an apology for the lack of Levi/Eren interactions! 
> 
> There's just this chapter before everything goes to hell in a good way. Enjoy their life within the barracks before we explore the UST but with the outside background~ Ratings will probably change.

Petra excitedly ran through the details of Hange’s experiments to the rest of Squad Levi. Oluo seemed more annoyed and disinterested while Eld and Gunther tried to hold in their laughter without much success. The squad had their own personal experience of getting subjected to the painful emotional constipation of their captain and their youngest member but it was much amusing that even the higher-ups got too fed up and is taking the matters to their own hands.

“I hate that we missed the experiments!” Petra whined pitifully. “We have to make up for the lost time! We’re going to help Squad Leader Hange and Commander Erwin be successful in their mission!”

“How are we supposed to do that? They’re both unbelievably stubborn.” Eld chipped in.

“Leave it to me! I’ve read enough books to know how to get two people together!” Petra cheered and made her way towards the kitchen.

Eld, Gunther, and Oluo stared at each other in confusion.

“Women are not to be trifled with.”

 

* * *

 

The mess hall was filled with chatter right before lunch officially started. The soldiers were incredibly excited about the new equipment they will try out for the next few days but more importantly, they all get to try the improved ration of food. The commander out done himself this time.

The noise only died down when the commander stepped into the hall with Hange and Levi in tow. Squad Levi trailed behind them with a light chatter which Levi himself didn’t seem to participate in. It seems that the boys of the squad were slightly whining to Petra about something that the captain couldn’t understand.

“Eren, stop staring! We need to get our portion before Sasha inhales the table.” Mikasa reprimanded as she grabbed the brunet by the arm.

“Hey!” Sasha glared but nevertheless was seen sneaking in some extra portions underneath her jacket.

Eren’s group was slightly loud during lunch that Mikasa and Armin had to team up to stop the others from getting out of hand. The blond was getting a massive headache and it didn’t help that Eren would always rise to Reiner and Jean’s bait.

Strangely enough, Eren could feel a heated glare directed against the back of his head whenever Reiner tried to jokingly flirt with the brunet. It got bad enough to the point that he stopped the playful banter himself before his nerves exploded.

“Eren! I have something for you!” Petra cheerfully barged in as she speed walked to the group’s table.

“Hello, Petra.” Eren greeted. “What’s that?” The strawberry blonde vibrated with excitement as she showed the group a box of what looked like horribly expensive food. Sasha burst into tears as she stared unbelievingly at what Petra had in the box. Even the rest of the group made hums of awe and approval since they have never seen stuff like that before.

“It’s sort of a gift or probably a bribe if you really know the people from the inner walls. Some of the food in there came from my father too! I wanted to share some!”

“You’re a goddess!” Sasha bawled out and Connie had to physically restrain her from kneeling down.

Petra smiled sweetly and directed her attention to Eren, “Since you’re our baby in the group, I wanted to spoil you! Have you ever tried strawberries and cream, Eren?”

Eren blushed and shook his head. That kind of food combination was usually reserved for the sickeningly rich bastards back in Sina. The Jaeger family was lucky enough to even get a jar of honey within the span of two years.

The brunet made a confused sound when a fresh looking red fruit covered in cream was directed towards his face. Petra was smiling brightly and telling him not to be embarrassed and eat it while Sasha was trying to claw her way out of Connie and Jean’s arms to get to the fruit.

“Thanks, Petra.” Eren smiled as he took the offered food and opened his mouth to bite into half of the fruit. A soft moan escaped his lips as the tangy and sweet flavour of the strawberry swirled pleasantly with the light sugary feel of the cream. Fortunately for Petra, Eren was a messy eater and the white sticky cream from the strawberry found its way to the corner of the boy’s mouth. A painful suppressed choke from the table of the higher officers confirmed to the strawberry blonde that her mission was a success.

Eren licked his lips enthusiastically and the choking was now mixed with Hange’s loud cackling. Petra smiled to herself even more as she prepared the final blow to her plan. The woman was clearly not just effective in killing titans but also in teasing a couple into finally breaking.

“You could try the other snacks, of course!” Petra told the group. “But what I wanted to share the most is this bottle of milk!”

The squad cheered so loudly that the other tables of soldiers burst into laughter. It was like witnessing children get their gifts during Christmas and it was horribly hilarious since most of the group were towering six foot men. The bottle of milk was smaller than what was usually served in the high places but it was enough to share to the group of younger soldiers who were vibrating excitedly in their seats. The portions weren’t plentiful but with the price of milk going around, they were lucky enough to even taste it.

A wicked grin spread on Petra’s face as she watched the show unfold. As predicted, the group is too rowdy for their own good and Jean had slapped Eren’s back that the brunet choked slightly and milk dripped down his mouth. It didn’t help that Eren’s cheeks flushed red from the effort of not trying to choke on the liquid.

“Jean!” Mikasa hissed but the tension was broken by the loud sound of a chair harshly scraping the floor and thundering footsteps exiting the hall.

Petra made a pleased sound when she noticed that the captain was missing and Hange was almost dying from laughter while they draped themselves on the table from exhaustion. The commander didn’t look any better as he hid his smiling face behind his large hand. Meanwhile, the entire Squad Levi were torn between amusement and fear.

“Are you still going to hit that, Oluo?” Eld snickered as Gunther made a disbelieving sound.

“The idiot probably will.” Gunther replied.

“Che! A man wouldn’t back down from a challenge.” Oluo hesitantly answered as he eyed Petra with thinly disguised fear.

 

* * *

 

“Captain?” Eren asked hesitantly as he looked around the hallway for the elusive captain. The brunet was loathe to admit that he’d been a little worried when Levi was missing for the rest of the lunch. Eren thought that maybe they annoyed the captain too much because of their noise.

“Captain Levi, sir?” Eren tried again as he rounded upstairs and inched towards the Captain’s room. The boy was ordered by the rest of Squad Levi to call for the captain but what Eren really wanted to do was to apologize for the chaos they made. “Sir, are you in here?”

Eren really did try to knock but the small moan that echoed in the room made the boy’s blood rush south. The brunet willed himself not to eavesdrop but the low rumble of the captain’s voice ensnared him to a web of dirty thoughts.

“C-captain?” Eren asked meekly and hoped to the gods that he can just evaporate.

A curse muffled by a moan ripped from the other side of the room and Eren was left to stand dumbly without knowing what to do. He was half-hard already and he’s right in front of his superior’s private quarters! _What the hell!?_

The brunet quickly took of his jacket and swung it in front to cover the evidence of his filth. He hoped the captain wouldn’t notice or else it would be a really awkward coming out story.

“Fuck!” Levi hissed when he wrenched the door open to see the very cute blushing Eren gaping at him. “How long have you been standing there, brat?”

“Uh- I just- a-arrived, sir!” Eren lied; the tips of his ears going red. “Petra and the others told me to come get you.”

Oh, how Eren wanted to eat up his captain with the scarlet cheeks and little beads of sweat clinging to his raven hair and milky forehead. The buttons of his dress shirt was also in disarray as much as his precious cravat that was lying limply across his neck. The captain looked like he was freshly screwed and Eren fought back a possessive growl. It was a bit irrational since there was clearly no one else in the room.

“Well, you can leave now.” Levi sighed as he tried to fix his cravat. “Just tell them I’d be heading to the training grounds soon. I just need to clean up.”

“Captain?” Eren asked hesitantly as he eyed his captain.

“What?” Levi answered back and looked at Eren. It was a mistake, of course; the moment steely gray eyes met blue green, it was like everything was all over. The tension between them grew further and they itched to draw the other closer until their lips pleasantly pressed together. Eren’s eyes were half-lidded as he unknowingly bent down to make up for the distance between him and his captain.

Levi felt intoxicated and he didn’t know what happened but everything smelled like home and safety. The air was pleasantly warm and when did that damn brat’s eyes get even prettier? The captain found himself gripping the doorknob painfully as his feet reflexively tiptoed to meet the younger soldier until—

“A-ah! I-uhm! I have to go and... shit!” Eren babbled. “No! I meant I have to go to Petra and the others! Goodbye, Levi!”

Levi stood dumbfounded as he watched Eren speed away through the hallway. He should be severely pissed at being baited like that and left hanging but Eren had him laughing at his shitty excuse. The captain won’t admit that he forgave Eren mostly because he called Levi by his name and it sounded perfect.

 

* * *

 

It didn’t take long for Levi to finally get a hold of himself and jog towards the training grounds. The squad had worn their complete gear and were simply patiently waiting for the captain to arrive. Oluo was the first to notice Levi which caught the attention of the rest. Eren stiffened beside Petra and refused to look Levi in the eye.

“I’m guessing you all had your shit and are ready. We’re making this quick before the sun completely sets. The same routine will be followed and if I catch anyone lagging behind, I’ll personally escort them to the stables to finish cleaning up after the new recruits.”

The group stiffened a bit since it has been well known that the new soldiers were pretty bad at cleaning. It would take forever to correct everything that those brats have done according to the captain’s standards.

As per prior agreement, the squad worked in tandem. The new formation was supposed to let them work more efficiently and with less use of gas. Eld and Gunther took the rear line, Petra and Oluo were in the middle, and Levi and Eren lead the front line.

“Oi, brat. Stop shaking like you just shit in your pants. You’re fucking distracting me.” Levi barked at Eren as they zoomed past a number of marked trees.

“Yes, sir!” Eren shouted in reply but still refused to make eye contact.

Petra quietly observed from a distance while Oluo tried to plead with her to stop her meddling with the affairs of the captain. The strawberry blonde got annoyed at one point when Oluo won’t shut up so she kicked his side which caused the latter to bite his tongue.

“I’ll bring you down with me if I get caught! Now, shut up!” Petra hissed at him.

Eld and Gunther shook their heads and told the two to concentrate. Fortunately, the pair quieted down and obediently followed the pattern of the formation. It was still odd for Petra that Eren was acting skittish around the captain so suddenly. Did something happen? Did her plan work somehow and she just didn’t see it?

At one point of the formation, the three pairs had to separate and will meet up at the lip of the forest as planned. Levi finally got supremely annoyed at Eren’s silence and used the formation break as a chance to get the brat talking. The captain made a hand signal to Eren to land on the nearest tree which confused the younger but still complied with the command.

As soon as their feet touched the overgrown branch, Levi swiped his leg under Eren’s feet which caused the brunet to shriek and land ass first. “What the hell!?” Eren yelled as he tried to get his bearings but Levi already sunk his fingers into Eren’s hair and dragged him close enough that they were almost kissing.

“What the fucking hell is wrong with you, kid? I’m tired of the silent treatment. If you cannot concentrate while we’re completing this routine then you’d be a heap of titan shit outside these goddamned walls.” Levi angrily ground out as he glared at his kneeling subordinate.

Eren shook under Levi’s fingers but bravely looked at his captain, “I’m sorry, sir! I was a bit distracted. It won’t happen again!”

“Hoh?” Levi sneered. “How sure are you that you won’t get distracted again? I don’t like empty promises, brat.”

Eren gulped and licked his lips, “I will make do with what I say, sir. I won’t half-ass anything.”

Levi smirked and slid his fingers until they were touching the small tuffs of hair on Eren’s nape, “I don’t like waiting, brat. You’re fucking lucky I’m making an exception for you. Now, on your feet before I decide to do anything we might regret. I don’t like audiences too.”

Eren snapped from his dazed look as he saw two figures gliding through the trees. They looked suspiciously like Petra and Oluo but the brunet wasn’t too sure since they were supposed to be at the other side of the forest.

The squad finally met at the end of the forest before sunset. Petra was fuming about something that the captain and Eren didn’t quite catch. The two were just thankful that they weren’t subjected to Petra’s wrath though Oluo couldn’t boast as much.

“Make sure to maintain your gears well and get some decent sleep. I don’t need to remind you that we have an incoming expedition and the Survey Corps doesn’t need to drag our pathetic asses just cause we’re careless. Dismissed!”

The group saluted the captain.

“I forgot that the date for the expedition was moved earlier.” Eren muttered lamely.

“That’s right, brat.” Levi affirmed as he stopped and looked back at Eren. “Happy fucking birthday, I guess.”

Petra bit her hand as she squealed, “Captain knows your birthday! This is great! We should have a little something for Eren during the expedition, don’t you think?”

The squad erupted into a friendly banter as they randomly assigned each other on what to do for Eren during their expedition. The younger soldier should have been touched at the gesture but his mind went blank at the fact that Captain Levi Ackerman remembered the birthday of a soldier.

_‘Maybe I really do mean more to him than I thought.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like the tease? Because it was suffering for me. It's my first time to write anything that even touches the impliedly sexual so please do comment if you have tips or if you liked it the way it is. I'd also love to hear if you guys want this to go to a higher rating. I could try writing some lovely smut mhmm. Thanks for reading!


	5. Dangerous Expeditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Protecting one's mate is the most important thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote an insanely long chapter and I realized I needed to cut it into two because it's going to take forever to finish. This is just the first part and the rating is going to go up on the next chapter. As promised, there will be no character deaths so don't worry too much! The violence isn't even that graphic. Enjoy!

Early mornings were a nightmare to Levi.

As a soldier, and a captain no less, he had to wake up at the butt crack of dawn every single day of his life but he never really gotten used to it. Levi’s mood plummets at an alarming speed since his insomnia doesn’t really give him much rest. Everyone else thinks he’s just in his regular pissed off mood but the truth was he was reeling in his murderous thoughts since he can’t really kill the goddamn sun.

The black tea helps except when they’re served by overly-enthusiastic brats who can’t seem to contain themselves. Petra was already having a hard time trying to get Eren to calm down but no amount of motherly threats could kill the boy’s brightened mood.

“Had a happy shit, Jaeger? You’re fucking bouncing all over the place.” Levi grumbled as he drank the last of his rapidly cooling tea.

Eren had the decency to be embarrassed and scratched the back of his head, “I’m sorry, captain.”

“I know it’s your birthday today, Eren.” Petra started calmly. “But you need to control your energy or you’ll tire out quickly. Why don’t you help me transfer our packed equipment so you can burn off whatever’s getting to you?”

The chocolate brown haired boy flashed his brightest grin and nodded at Petra. Levi had to look away because the kid was being too cute and he really didn’t need the extra distraction this early in the morning. Thankfully, the last of the preparations went by smoothly and the rest of the Survey Corps awaited their signal to move out of the gates.

“Happy birthday, Eren.” Mikasa greeted sweetly as she directed her horse closer to Eren’s mare. The girl gave a tender and lingering touch to Eren’s arm which was answered with the boy’s shy grin.

“Thanks, Mikasa!” Eren replied as he laughed off an excited Armin who just arrived at his other side.

Levi’s sharp grey eyes landed on Mikasa’s warm hand that still rested on top of Eren’s and the captain had never felt an emotion quite as distressing. He had to tell himself that the boy wasn’t truly his but the number of times he has lost his composure due to other brats touching Eren was making him groan in disappointment with himself. The captain had no right but emotions didn’t really listen to logic.

Hange sensed the situation and made their horse trot closer to Levi’s to distract him.

“Do you think we’ll be able to catch an aberrant!? I sure hope so! I can’t wait to get my hands on all of my babies and play with them!” Hange droned on as they drooled over the idea.

“Tsk!” Levi clicked his tongue in disgust.“Keep it in your damn pants, shitty glasses!”

“My, Levi! What a hypocrite you are!” Hange grinned and immediately bent over to avoid the punch that was directed to their face. The scientist laughed hard as Moblit continued to plead with his senior that they at least try not to get in Levi’s face too much.

The captain was tempted to distress Hange’s horse so it could throw the damn maniac off but the loud clang of the bells caught his attention. Every single soldier tensed in anticipation and prepared themselves to charge off into the unknown once again. Commander Erwin sat confidently on top of his white horse and positioned himself right in front of the opening gates. A distinct shout from him prompted the beginning of the expedition and all of the soldiers charged outside of the gates.

“Eat my dust, Levi!” Hange laughed heartily as they sped past Levi and Erwin.

“You’re going to get yourself killed!” Moblit shouted desperately as he tried to follow the squad leader but to no avail. He was overtaken by the speeding captain who had murder written all over his face. Moblit squeaked helplessly as he looked at the commander but the blond superior shook his head.

“I do not think it is wise to get yourself into the mayhem that is Levi and Hange, Moblit.” Erwin joked lightly as he pitifully looked at Moblit. The man really had his hands full with looking after Hange all the time.

Unknown to the captain and the screaming squad leader, they were being watched by a group of young soldiers who happened to be a bunch of Eren’s friends. The teal eyed teenager watched with wonder and amusement as the captain pushed forward with effortless grace to stop Hange.A loud snicker from behind him snapped the brunet back to reality.

“By the walls, Jaeger. If you’re going to get turned on by a short, middle-aged man galloping away to murder his psychopathic friend, then you’re really more fucked up in the head than I thought.” Ymir smirked as she moved along the line of the snickering Connie and Sasha.

Eren blushed a thousand shades of red, “I am not turned on!”

“I wonder if the captain is going to give Eren a gift!” Sasha excitedly declared. “I really hope it’s some sort of food again! You’re going to share aren’t you, Eren?”

Connie cackled out loud and Reiner added, “Maybe it’s going to be a nasty birthday sex!”

Jean scrunched up his nose and moved away from Reiner, “Fucking gross, man! I don’t need to have the image of the captain and bastard face going at it burned into my brain! Have some decency!”

“No one asked you to burn it into your brain.” Mikasa hissed with an impassive face as she eyed Jean’s distance slowly closing in on her. She roughly tugged on her horse to get far away and move next to Armin.

Reiner laughed and slapped Jean’s back when he was close enough, “Why, Kristein! You didn’t tell us you were into that kind of stuff! We could have provided you with amazing visuals!”

Bertolt sweated profusely and waved everyone off which prompted the group to burst into laughter and only came into a hush when Petra approached them.

“Eren, when we reach the entrance to the forest you’re going to have to transfer to our section. Try to enjoy your time with your friends now as much as possible, okay? The captain or one of us will probably come and fetch you.”

“Okay!” Eren responded cheerily as he watched Petra smile and gallop away to the rest of Levi’s squad.

“I am actually slightly surprised you’re riding with us, Eren.” Armin wondered out loud as the rest of the group listened to him.

“You don’t want me to be here, Armin? I’m wounded.” Eren joked and smiled while Armin shook his head.

“It’s just that you’re supposed to be with Squad Levi but you’re out here spending time with us. Isn’t that a bit out of the ordinary?” Armin ventured again and a thoughtful hum broke out in the group. It was true that Eren was supposed to be under the care of Levi’s squad since they were especially picked for that particular mission. It seemed kind of pointless if Eren was riding together with his batchmates like he’s an ordinary soldier.

“Maybe they’re sick of Jaeger’s face?” Jean unhelpfully pointed out which earned him a glare from Eren.

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Armin started out, “but I think the captain is allowing you to spend time with us since it’s your birthday. I mean, he has primary custody over you! I can’t think of anyone else who can convince the commander to change up the formation so suddenly.”

Sasha and Krista let out a loud _‘aww’_ accompanied by the gagging noises from Ymir and Jean. Mikasa was about ready to stab Jean in the face but Eren was completely oblivious to the commotion. The teen had trouble counting how many times his cheek burned because of the captain but he didn’t find it in himself to complain. He meekly looked up to watch as Levi pinched Hange’s ear harshly. For all of Levi’s parade of being cold and unfeeling, the man was very gentle inside and Eren felt like the luckiest person for being able to be close to him.

The Survey Corps finally arrived at the forest without delay. This was just their first resting point to check if everything is well and settled before they push further into the forest and arrive at the abandoned villages. Sadly, it was also a cue for Eren to leave his friends so he could join Squad Levi.

“We’ll miss you, Eren! Don’t forget to write to us!” Sasha wailed dramatically as she joined the massive group hug.

“Ow, you guys! Get off me!” Eren laughed as he tried to protect the small muffin that was supposedly his birthday cake. The squad had forged a pack of muscle wall around him and it was getting ridiculous since most of them were sobbing sarcastically like Eren was going to be sent off into the unknown for the rest of eternity.

Ymir was the first to drag herself off since she was an unwilling participant, “Don’t forget to use protection, Eren! We don’t want you getting pregnant just yet!”

“Fucking hell, Ymir.” Jean groaned out as he ripped his trapped limbs from the hug.

Eren was about to retort but the smooth voice of the captain stopped him. The rest of the group tried to hide their smiles and snickering as the shorter man gave instructions to Eren to transfer to his squad’s formation before they left for the second course of the expedition.

“Wrap up your sleepover and get to the east side once you’re done. You can play with your friends after we’re finished with this shitty mission.” Levi impassively stated.

“Yes, sir!” Eren saluted sharply at his retreating captain and smiled. “Thank you, captain!”

Levi stopped and turned to raise a brow, “For what, brat?”

“For this, sir. I know I’m not supposed to be here and I’m honored for the exception! I’ll work harder to pay you back for it, Captain Levi!” Eren declared with his whole heart and looked determinedly at Levi. The boy obviously wanted to say more, to break boundaries a bit cause when did he ever let anything hold him back but he knew that this wasn’t the proper place. The captain simply nodded and went on his way.

“Fuck, I thought he was going to get down on one knee and propose to the guy!” Jean wheezed as he tried to hold back his laughter.

“Go get him, Eren!” Krista cheered.

Mikasa embraced the stuttering brunet tightly and held his gaze while holding his arms. Thankfully, the muffin that was painstakingly made by the group didn’t get squished and was resting on top of Eren’s right hand. “You’ve really grown, Eren. The choices you’ve made have always been yours and it won’t be any different now. I just wish for this year and the rest that you’ll finally make a choice that is for your own happiness. I might not like it entirely but don’t think for one second that I won’t support you.”

Eren gave her a watery smile and nodded, “Thanks.”

“Let yourself love and be loved, got it? The damn midget makes you happy. I can see that. Take what you can now before we drown in regrets later on. Just don’t— try and tell me about the details of your sex life. He’s kind of a relative and it’s pretty gross.”

“MIKASA!”

The younger Ackerman smiled and let Armin take her place. The blond shut Eren up with a lot of lecturing and encouragement before they finally let the brunet off to the other side of the massive foliage.

* * *

  
Eren was welcomed by a barrage of happy birthdays from his superiors. The boy was overwhelmed by the attention but he still managed to properly thank all of them for their greetings. Commander Erwin was subjected to the heartfelt and extremely polite thank you speech of Eren which made the commander laugh. Hange smiled brightly at their favorite titan shifter and hugged the boy as Erwin shook his head in fondness.

“You should really thank Levi for all of that, Eren. All I ever did was give my go signal so the credit goes to him.” Erwin kindly stated as he watched some of the senior soldiers pass by.

“I-I did thank the captain! I just feel like that isn’t enough though.” Eren frowned sadly and kicked the dust off his boots. It was really difficult to find a way to please the captain or at least return his kindness.

Hange snickered and elbowed Eren roughly, “You know, the greatest gift is the body! So many different kinds of functions that you can explore and dissect—“

“Hange.” Erwin scolded lightly. “I don’t think that’s a proper suggestion. That’s more of your field than Eren’s.”

“Are you ladies done sharing feelings?” Levi boredly muttered as he walked towards the three. “I need the brat to come with me so we could get the fuck out of here already.”

Erwin smiled knowingly and patted Eren’s shoulder, “Of course, Levi! You take good care of Eren. We’ll be heading out in five minutes. I just need to check the rear line then we’re on our way.”

“Whatever, shitwin. This place is giving me the creeps. Something’s not right.” Levi complained as he grabbed Eren by the arm and dragged the younger soldier with him.

Hange looked with a confused daze, “Is it because his dick isn’t in Eren right now?”

Erwin bit back a laugh and hurried to the rear line before Hange gets any bright ideas.

* * *

   
Levi knew from the moment they stepped into the abandoned village that everything was going to turn into shit.

The smaller titans posed no problem for the Survey Corps but the aberrant ones were a huge pain. Everyone was shocked that the titans had scurried into the second resting base when it was supposedly almost clean of them. It didn’t help that the aberrant ones were really fast and swiped at most of the younger recruits.

Levi cursed harshly as he led his team into the deeper part of the forest. There were no orders of retreat and that meant they had to get away from the titans as much as possible. The black and red flares that shot up towards the sky made their hearts beat rapidly against their chests.

Eld was the first to shoot his hooks towards the trees to incapacitate and kill a titan which was too close for comfort towards the squad.

“What the fucking hell is going on here?” Levi hissed as they made a sharp turn towards the west. There was a hoard of titans coming from the east and it did not look good. Petra grabbed her own signal flare and shot it towards the oncoming hoard to hide the squad and confuse the titans.

Unfortunately, the heavy skies poured down on the Survey Corps and the harsh icy droplets battered their soaked skin. Petra and Oluo cursed when the flare was quickly being wiped off by the sudden heavy downpour but were thankful that the titans seemed to slow a bit.

Levi looked up and breathed a sigh of relief when a blue flare lingered up the sky. Eld was back on his horse and that meant he could keep his entire squad safe by outrunning the damn ugly titans. The captain always hated their ugly mugs and was more than happy to stay ten feet away from them if he could help it. _Disgusting creatures_.

“Captain, there’s too many!” Eren screamed from behind as the hoard came closer. It was getting difficult to communicate with the thick fog and rain. The horses were already panting heavily as the forest soil turned into mud and sucked in the hooves of the galloping steeds.

“We’re not engaging them, is that clear?” Levi barked back as he steadily pushed his horse to go faster.

“Targets are fast approaching, sir!” Gunther screamed as he watched the titans and their wide grins.

“Captain—“ Eren pleaded.

Petra gasped and screamed, “CAPTAIN, LOOK OUT!”

An aberrant ran into the speeding soldiers and swiped down to grab them. Levi’s squad was fast enough to get out of the way but the titan was unrelenting. It seemingly pinned its attention on the captain who tried to curve his way out of the direct line of sight of the titan. Oluo tried to get the titan’s attention away from the captain but the creature was smart enough to ignore him and flick him off to the nearest tree.

“OLUO!” Petra shouted as she jumped off her horse and raced upwards with her gear to break Oluo’s fall.

Levi finally got his foot released from the stirrups and firmly attached his hooks to the titan’s arm and rammed his blade until it was cut off. The captain made a displeased face as the titan became faster and more pissed than ever.

Eren was about to assist the captain when the aberrant noticed the brunet and decided to pick on Eren instead. A cold sense of dread dropped into the pit of Levi’s stomach as the titan speedily raised its huge hand towards Eren. The boy tried to get away but the mare was sinking into mud and Eren’s foot got caught badly into the stirrups.

“EREN! NO!” Levi screamed as he raced towards that titan’s shoulder to completely sever the arm but it was too late when another abnormal titan grabbed the captain.

“CAPTAIN LEVI!” Petra yelled but it was all drowned out as Eren slowly took in the sight of his captain being taken away. The shorter man was hissing and fighting back; his left leg seemingly going limp as his right tried to kick and squirm. Hot tears dripped down Eren’s face as an unholy scream of his captain’s name ripped from his throat. The boy didn’t even notice that he transformed on the spot.

Eren’s titan was furious. Its eyes turned a mix of fiery gold and teal as the veins of its skin simmered hotly of what looked like spitting coal. His teeth have turned into deadly fangs meant for ripping flesh and the titan breathed heavily of hot steam. The aberrant whose hand got cut off by Levi stood no chance against Eren’s wrath. It was turned into a puddle of gore in a blink of an eye.

“E-Eren! What are you doing!?” Petra pleaded as Eren roared viciously at the running titan who held his captain. No one touches his captain while he’s still alive and breathing. He’d kill every fucking single one of the titans who dared harm Levi.

_‘Protect! Protect him! Retrieve your mate! Fucking kill them all!’_


	6. No More Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When two soldiers offer up their hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really nervous when I was writing this because I really had no prior experience when it comes to explicit things so forgive me if it's kinda timid and lacking! It's my very first time to write something intimate but I'm slightly satisfied with how it turned out. Also yay for two chapters uploaded in one day! The transport strike gave us two days of class suspension so I was able to finish these long ass chapters!

Levi wanted to kick himself in the face but he knew he couldn’t because he basically broke something in his left leg. It was so annoying that the damn weather got too difficult to read and it suddenly poured like hell at the same time the titans decided to attack. He was used to fighting with shitty weather but this particular instance seemed to surpass all the other encounters he had. How could he be so careless?

The captain contorted his body enough to give space for his arms to be set free. The blades pinched and cut some parts of his sides but he didn’t really want to complain when he’s in the grasp of an ugly titan.

“You have the fucking nerve to grab me like that, asshole.” Levi grumbled. “I’ll make you pay for being a cocky little shit.”

Levi reversed his grip on the blades and buried them deeply into the titan’s fingers. The creature roared in pain and was forced to release the captain. The short man immediately swung towards the trees to get his momentum and flung himself forward until the fast approaching arm was shredded and cut off.

“Now, now, this is just foreplay.”

Levi was cut off when a fast fifteen meter titan came barrelling into their direction.

He easily recognized Eren’s furious roar and the distinct boiling lines on the titan’s flesh as it rampaged towards them. It was painfully dark but Eren’s titan glowed with raw and unsuppressed rage. The aberrant was stupid enough to try and fight Eren but it was ripped into two like a piece of paper. Eren’s titan roared threateningly as it continued to make a mess and stomp the flesh and bones of the titan into the muddy ground.

“Oi, stop that. You’re going overboard.” Levi commanded a bit worriedly as Eren continued to drown in his emotions. The captain knew his words won’t really mean much but he hoped that somehow, Eren’s consciousness could be pulled back.

Eren finally stopped but only to listen to the cries of more titans approaching or falling victim to the Survey Corps. The titan sniffed the air and it made a rumbling noise of threat in its throat.

“Fuck!” Levi cursed as his injured leg gave in and the man almost slipped from the tree he was standing in.

Levi didn’t have the time to shout and reprimand his subordinate before Eren’s titan grabbed him off the tree and ran fast into the north. The captain finally got his bearings and screamed at Eren to turn back and put him the fuck down before he jams his blades into the titan’s throat. The empty threats went unheeded as the titan broke through the lines of trees and seemingly knew where to go.

The mixed agonizing screams of the Survey Corps and the titans finally died down as the two scampered off deeper into the forest. Levi finally gave up on reasoning with Eren and decided to at least steal some warmth from the titan’s giant hand that was currently cradling him. The damn storm’s cold air seeped right into the captain’s bones.

“Where are we going, Eren?” Levi asked just to break the deafening sound of only rain and heavy footsteps.

Eren made cooing noises as the two reached a clearing that had a small abandoned cottage resting at the center. Half of its roof already gave in and the doors and windows didn’t look any better. Fortunately, it looked stable enough to provide shelter from the unforgiving weather.

“Not bad.” Levi muttered as he was allowed to step down from Eren’s grasp. “Erwin’s probably going to grow another fat eyebrow since we’re both missing but it’s not like I have much say in the matter. Get your ass down here, Eren. I need to cut you off that thing.”

Eren made a noise of protest and shook his head which received an annoyed glare from the captain. “I refuse to stand out here all day and argue with a titan, Eren. Bend down or I’ll fucking make you. You’ll kill yourself with exhaustion if you keep up that form!”

The titan hesitated for a moment but finally relented. Eren’s instincts were nagging at him for making Levi unhappy so he bent down so that the shorter man could cut him up from the titan’s nape. Levi shot his hooks and flew up towards the body and landed with a groan. His leg was killing him but he didn’t want to give away that he was in pain. Levi made a quick work of slicing the titan’s nape and a sizzling hiss of steam erupted as Eren emerged from the flesh of his titan. The boy blinked in a daze and finally smiled when he recognized his captain’s face.

“Hello.” Eren lamely greeted as Levi pulled him out of the muscles that were still attached to the boy.

“Help me get you out of this thing before I freeze my ass off, brat.” Levi barked out without a bite in his words. His breath was punched out of him when Eren wrapped his arms around the shorter soldier with a contented sigh. Levi’s mind went overdrive but he suppressed his emotions and heaved the boy out of the gore of flesh.

It was an awkward journey of stumbling towards the cottage before the pair finally collapsed on the slightly dirty floor. Levi cursed his disgust at the damn thing and wished he could just pull his cloak off and sit on it but the weather is too cold and he didn’t want to get sick because he was being a princess about dirt.

“Levi! You’re hurt!” Eren gasped in worry and panic as he fussed over the captain. It took time for the boy to finally realize the gravity of the situation.

The raven haired man smirked at Eren’s slip up. It was always so amusing when Eren got too lost in his emotions and would forget formalities. Levi’s insides craved for Eren to keep calling him by his first name and most of the time it had nothing to do with screaming it in different positions.

“I’ve had worse. Stop worrying over it.” Levi assured his subordinate.

Eren frowned and a determined glint lit up his Caribbean blue eyes as he ripped off his cloak. The captain had sustained light gashes across his torso and the side of his thighs but the worst injury was the deep red gash starting from his knee going up to the upper thigh. The brunet ripped his cloak into pieces with a growl and wrapped Levi’s injury.

“I’m so sorry but this will have to do.” Eren apologized profusely.

“You don’t have to look so down, brat. It’s not like I’m going to die from it.”

“But you could have!” Eren stubbornly shouted back and Levi winced from the pressure that the boy put on his injured leg. The dam finally broke and the brunet cried relentlessly with heavy hiccups. Levi watched helplessly as his young love tore into himself with sobs and screams of agony, fear, and relief. It would be a lie to say that the captain didn’t want to embrace Eren and rub away all of his fears but Levi was willing to wait for all of eternity. The captain is not a patient man but Eren would always be his exception.

“I should have made better decisions!” Eren screamed out as he plastered his hands against his face. “I could have transformed earlier and prevented all of this from happening! I could have saved everyone, I—“

“You couldn’t have known, Eren.” Levi interrupted.

Eren looked up with his glassy eyes and stared at the captain, “W-What?”

“You couldn’t have known the outcome.” Levi sighed and adjusted his sitting position. “At that point there was no right or wrong decision; just the one that you will least regret. What happened back there was not your fault.”

The brunet cried harder but this time it was filled with gratefulness and relief that he was accepted and understood by the older man no matter how much Eren thought he failed the Survey Corps. Levi was about to turn in for the night and allow the boy some space for himself when Eren grabbed his arm.

“Wait, Captain Levi!” he pleaded desperately as small hiccups stuttered his breathing.

Isn’t this what Eren loved to do? Make Levi wait? It was sort of amusing that the boy finally said it into words. The months or perhaps years of them dancing around each other have always been circling around that same sentence. Levi was to wait for his Eren.

“What is it?” Levi answered softly as he took in the younger soldier. He was sure there was an internal debate going on in the brat’s head and he wasn’t about to interrupt that.

“I-I’m tired, sir! I’m tired of running away and I don’t know if we’re both going to live another day so please allow me some of your time!”

The captain was slightly shocked and felt his nerves alight with fire. His heart thumped rapidly as he soaked in those words because without a doubt, they meant—

“I know it’s going to be disgusting for you but I just wanted to tell you how much you mean to me. I feel so strongly for you that it’s insane! I lose control most especially when I’m in titan form and it scares me but I don’t want to be afraid anymore! Sir, I lo- I like you!” Eren screamed out, grasping his superior officer’s arm tightly like he’s afraid that Levi will turn away and abandon him anytime. Tears rolled down Eren’s brightened cheeks as the boy closed his eyes and awaited whatever blow Levi was going to give him.

Levi chuckled lowly which startled the boy.

“Fucking finally, brat.” Levi smirked and tugged the crying mess closer to him.

“S-sir, I don’t underst—“

“It’s just Levi. Not like you haven’t been using that quite a while. You really had the nerve to keep me waiting this long before you finally became honest with yourself.” Eren blushed harder as his body was pushed towards Levi’s own. A small pleased noise erupted from the captain’s throat as the glittering expressive eyes of Eren stared down at him.

“Are you going to let me answer you properly?”

“Y-yes, sir... I mean— Levi! Ah!”

Levi swallowed down Eren’s soft moan as their lips made contact. The boy got too excited and enthusiastically licked the captain’s mouth without any shame at his inexperience and it brought a warm light to the captain’s chest. Eren squirmed his way until he was between the older man’s legs and straddled Levi shamelessly as he opened his mouth to Levi’s exploring tongue. The supposedly sweet kiss turned hot and messy and Eren made pleased noises as he pushed himself more towards Levi.

“Nngh, Levi.” Eren groaned as he panted heavily.

“Alright, calm down. I’m fucking injured, kid.” Levi laughed but his dick really just wanted to punch him in the face for stopping.

“But—“ Eren pleaded as he pouted. It was seriously insane that they were in this position and the fucking higher-ups would surely suffer from aneurysm if they found out that the man that they assigned to kill Eren on the spot should the boy lose control was currently making out with said charge. Oh, how Levi would enjoy watching those pigs die from the scandal of it.

“Are you sure about this, Eren?” Levi asked. “I have nothing else to give and I’m an old man with literal shit jokes. We’re skipping the height issue because I’m going to have to murder someone if we talk about that.”

Eren laughed brightly and kissed the corner of Levi’s mouth, “All of those are exactly the reason why I like you!”

“You have a pretty bad taste in men, brat.” Levi smirked. “And only like?”

“O-Of course not! Maybe more than like!” Eren whined and squirmed on top of Levi. “Okay, I lov—!”

“No, save that for later.” Levi breathed as he pulled down the brunet to meld their mouths into one. Eren’s hot breath ghosted on top of Levi’s lips as the boy struggled to keep hold of himself. The captain bit the boy’s lower lip and a rumble of moan sent all of Levi’s blood down south. Eren hissed and fought back as he messily shoved his tongue inside Levi’s hot cavern and licked up the roof of his captain’s mouth in retaliation.

“Fuck, you’re a fast leaner.” Levi groaned as he pressed against Eren more.

“Mhmm but I could learn so much more, captain.” Eren purred as he grinded his hard length against Levi. The brat was fucking mewling and begging for something he didn’t even understand and Levi was completely at lost at how he wanted to take and claim Eren as his right then and there.

Eren’s eyes glowed with a ring of gold as he panted and pleaded for Levi to do something or else he will lose his goddamned mind. The captain tugged harshly at Eren’s leather straps and slipped his cold hands underneath Eren’s shirt. A hiss mixed with a moan emerged from Eren as the boy helplessly grabbed at the captain everywhere he can. Levi’s patient hands slid along Eren’s skin until it reached the hardened nubs that made the boy jerk in surprise.

“L-Levi!” Eren moaned lewdly as he attached his mouth to the exposed neck of his captain. “Mmm! Mine! I want more, please!”

“I’m not going to hurt you, Eren.” Levi hissed under his breath as Eren nibbled and bit the side of his neck like a wild animal in heat. “We’re not prepared for anything more than this. I refuse to make this traumatic on your fucking birthday!”

“Then let me have this?” Eren growled and ripped open the captain’s straps and pants. The titan shifter was extremely impatient and removed his own shirt and decided to get rid of the offending cloth on the captain as well. There was not much space to move and the shorter man was glaring at him so Eren had to content himself with simply opening the captain’s dress shirt to expose the scarred yet beautiful alabaster chest.

Eren licked his lips and suckled his way from Levi’s neck until his belly button. A loud groan was involuntarily ripped from Levi’s throat as Eren reached for his hardened member and the boy gave an experimental stroke that almost sent the captain to the edge.

“Damn it, brat. You can’t just do that without warning me!”

The brunet didn’t look like he was sorry as he took his own cock into his warm hand and slid both of their leaking members until they were rubbing against each other. Eren moaned loudly at the contact as Levi gripped Eren’s hips tightly to have some sort of anchor before he loses control and comes like a goddamned inexperienced virgin. The younger was panting loudly as he rutted his hips towards the tight channel of his hand and more of his sticky liquid drooled out of the tip of the reddened head of his dick. The view of Eren so selfishly trying to chase his orgasm made Levi bite his lips harshly.

Levi guided Eren’s warm hand into stroking them into completion and Eren screamed more as their combined tightness brought him into another level of lust. The captain could tell that Eren badly wanted to cum so he spit on both of their cocks and increased the speed and tightness of their mutual pumping. It was a mess of cum and spit and it was done on a filthy floor of an abandoned cottage but Levi couldn’t ask for more. It was him and Eren in their most intimate moment and the beautiful declarations of love that were unconsciously falling from Eren’s lips made Levi fall in love more. It was only a matter of time before Eren was screaming and shuddering on top of Levi and the older soldier followed soon after.

Eren laid limp with a satisfied sigh on top of his superior as Levi tried to pry away his spare handkerchief from the breast pocket of his discarded jacket to clean them up from the drying mess on their chests and stomachs.

“Levi, do you believe in soulmates?” Eren asked sleepily as he allowed his captain to clean up after them.

“Do I look like I read cheesy romantic novels, kid?” Levi answered with a low chuckle.

“I saw you read Petra’s erotic novels once!” Eren giggled as he received a light pinch on his side.

Levi frowned and shook his head, “That was one fucking time. Lay off me, damn it! It was disgusting as hell anyway. I’m not such a big fan of cunt.”

“Captain!” Eren screeched, scandalized by his captain but nevertheless amused.

Levi rolled his eyes and helped Eren off of him before his leg completely gave in.

“What made you ask such a thing anyway?”

Eren looked down and pressed himself to the captain’s side as they both craved for each other’s warmth and scent. “When I was a titan earlier... All that I kept saying in my head is that I had to protect my mate. It was so strange. I’ve never called or thought of anyone as my mate before. Hange also said that I’ve been changing in appearance when you’re in danger so do you think—“

“I don’t know, Eren... but I am sure of one thing.”

“What is it?” Eren asked with a curious expression.

“I’d be proud to be your mate.”


	7. Finding Our Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The captain and his charge might have broken a lot of boundaries but they're still walking on eggshells when it comes to their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little glimpse of their awkward first steps as a couple. The chapters after will go back to the very light atmosphere but that also means we're nearing the end of the story. Thank you so much for sticking with me!

Eren woke up sleepily to the dull pain that was tugging at his core. There was an incessant nagging that was tearing his brain apart that he thinks he might be smelling weird and different scents. Levi groused from his sleep by Eren’s tiny whimpers.

“What’s the problem, brat? The sun isn’t even up yet.” Levi asked wearily as he carded his fingers into the thick locks of Eren’s messy hair. It was a bit greasy from all the transforming and fighting through the rain but the raven haired man found that he didn’t mind it as much as he should.

“Hurts.” Eren whined as he buried his face pathetically into Levi’s neck more. The arm of the shifter around the captain’s waist tightened as Eren inhaled the scent of his new lover and a pleased rumble emerged from the teen’s throat. Levi’s frown deepened as he gently tugged at Eren’s hair so that the younger could properly face him.

“What? Did you get hurt when I dragged you off your titan?” The older asked worriedly as tired turquoise eyes gazed at him.

“I don’t feel physically hurt. I can’t really explain it but there’s just a feeling that I’m hurt.” Eren groaned as he struggled to press himself back to Levi again but the other refused to relent.

“You’re not going to get sick are you?” Levi deadpanned. “I don’t mind cum but snot is fucking gross.”

“Levi!” Eren complained in embarrassment. “No, I’m not getting sick. It’s just that I feel like someone dragged a blunt knife against my thigh—“

Levi quirked a brow as he released his grip from the titan shifter. Eren gazed at the captain’s injured leg and everything seemed to fall into place. The two didn’t really know how to explain it but a weird sense of connection was ignited when they have crossed their relationship’s boundaries and became intimate. It wasn’t full blown intercourse but the honesty in the act seemed to connect them more.

“This is weird. Hange would shit bricks once they find out.” Levi grimaced as he tried to wiggle his toes. The boots he had worn were tossed away by Eren somewhere between the impromptu groping and post-sex bliss. Their other items were haphazardly scattered together with their maneuver gear. It took great effort for Levi not to clean up the damn place.

“Don’t care.” Eren complained yet again and tucked himself under his captain’s arm. “I want to sleep until tomorrow. You’re hurt too so you should rest.”

Levi chuckled deeply, “Someone’s a bossy brat. Don’t get too fucking used to that, Jaeger. I’m still your superior officer and I can order your ass anytime.”

Eren grinned maliciously and the captain had to whack him in the head for being _‘a damn dirty-minded teenager’_ but the younger knew that Levi was just as enthusiastic about being intimate as he was. The brunet was fast asleep within seconds and failed to feel the captain’s futile attempt to clean up whatever was within his reach. The sun was already up when Levi finished folding their jackets and Eren’s cloak together with some of the broken straps from the shorter man’s gear.

“We should really get out of here before we get left behind.” Eren muttered as he pulled himself up off the captain who eyed him impassively. “Do you want me to transform into a titan, sir? We can go much faster that way.”

“Christ, drop the sir.” Levi groaned. “And we’re not risking you by shifting into a titan. You’d attract unnecessary attention and tire yourself out. Shitbrows probably won’t appreciate you stomping into the Survey Corps in titan form as well.”

“But you’re injured and you need medical attention! It would be easier if I’m already a titan so I could kill the fuckers who’d try to stop us!” Eren growled protectively.

In ordinary circumstances, Levi would have shoved his boot down a soldier’s throat if they talked back to him like Eren did but the kid had a fucked up reverse effect on the older Ackerman. Instead of being pissed off, he was rather amused. The little shit can get cute even if he looks homicidal... and what does that say about Levi?

“Stop being impatient and listen to me, Eren. We will work this out as a team.” Levi stated calmly as he stumbled and stood. “The burden shouldn’t be completely on any one of us. We broke the rule last night and now we’re equals; which means we get out of this hellhole in one piece and without too much sacrifice from the other.”

Eren seemed to calm down as Levi explained the situation to him. A primal part of the younger wanted to protest and insist that he take care of his mate but the more logical side is winning the battle. It did help that Levi outright confirmed the status of their relationship. Eren is very pleased to know that Levi planned to stay with him.

Getting out of the forest and following the Survey Corps proved to be tricky but Eren put his faith on his captain entirely. They had almost no idea where they were since it was Eren’s titan instincts that brought them to the rundown cottage so Eren was assigned to scout the area and look for possible stray horses. Levi was currently useless because of his injury and his ruined maneuver gear that lay heavily on the rotten wooden planks of the cottage floor.

_Damn aberrant titan and its shitty hands ruining perfectly maintained 3DMG._

Eren took to the air as soon as Levi gave him permission. It took almost half an hour before the brunet finally found one of the spooked horses of the Survey Corps. Fortunately, it responded well to the teen’s tongue clicks and obediently followed the soldier into the forest. Levi made an impressed sound when he was brought a black stallion but it was immediately replaced with a series of curses.

“I can get on the damn horse just fine, Jaeger! Get your hands off me!”

“You said that we’re a team!” Eren answered back defiantly. “Let me get you on the fucking horse so we could get out quickly. I promise it’s not going to lessen your ego!”

Levi glared harshly at the boy but allowed himself to be lifted up on the stallion. Eren made a pleased sound and rubbed at the captain’s uninjured knee with a soft whisper of not-so-apology. The silence between the two was tense as they trekked through the thick lines of trees and foliage. Occasionally, Eren had to fly up to the trees to see where they’re going but only the whirring of his gear broke whatever mutually consented silence game they were playing.

The captain finally gave in when they have reached a clearing that promised a few miles from the lip of the forest. Levi reached out and ruffled Eren’s windblown hair which startled the younger.

“Stop making that face, Eren. You’re making me feel worse.”

“But you were mad at me.”

Levi smirked as he noticed the boy inching closer to the captain hesitantly, “Yeah, well, I was actually being my usual ass self.”

Eren smirked back but was answered by a lights smack to the side of his head. “You were being an ass too so we’re both at fault. End of story. Wipe that filthy smug ass smirk from your face.” Levi grumbled with a smile as they threaded forward.  
  


* * *

  
“Captain!”

“Oh my god! Eren!”

“Shit! They’re alive!”

“Welcome back!”

The small team that was deployed to find and retrieve Captain Levi and Eren broke into a mix of cheers and sagging relief as they caught a glimpse of the pair walking out of the forest. The team was comprised of the Special Operations Squad together with Mikasa and Squad Leader Hange.

“Don’t scare me like that!” Mikasa harshly reprimanded as she hit Eren’s side.

“Can’t really say I’m sorry for it.” Eren chuckled as he let himself be embraced and fretted over by his sister.

Petra and Hange were much worse with the injured captain but Levi was skilled enough to kick them out of the way before he barfed at the emotions thrown to his face. It was only through his icy command that the group finally decided to skip the emotional reunion and head over to the temporary base of the Survey Corps.

“You’ve been staring at the shorty more than usual, Eren. Did something happen?” Mikasa asked quietly as she eyed her brother who was still too caught up with the captain. Eren frowned and tightened his hold on Mikasa as their horse galloped faster.

“I’m just really worried. I also know that he’s lying through his teeth when he told Petra that his injury wasn’t killing him.”

Mikasa snorted and elbowed her brother, “What? Are you a Levi psychic now?”

“Laugh all you want but you’re actually not too far off from the truth.” Eren grumbled as he rolled his eyes. “I’m starting to think this titan shifting has more to it than just actual transformation. You’ve heard about Hange’s crazy theories about titan intelligence and mating, right?”

Mikasa hummed and nodded, “Yeah, the one where they don’t actually have intercourse but they can pick a lifetime companion?”

Eren nodded and pressed his forehead against his sister’s back, “I feel like that’s an actual thing.”

“Ew, Eren. Did you just tell me Captain Levi Ackerman is your mate?”

“What’s so bad about that!?” Eren growled defensively although he internally admitted it sounded embarrassing even to him.

“He’s pretty lacking in height for a titan, isn’t he?” Mikasa laughed and ignored the rants of her brother about how Mikasa was so hung up over Levi’s height. It was all in good fun if she was being honest. Admitting that someone else is better equipped to provide security and happiness for her adoptive brother took a lot of time for Mikasa to handle. Now, she’s just happy that she can make fun of Levi so she could see Eren’s smiling and frustrated face again.  
  


* * *

   
Despite the minor setbacks and hasty retreats, the Survey Corps was successful in reaching another portion of land and securing its boundaries for the benefit of humanity. Plans were made for the land as it was obvious that it was rich and healthy enough for plants that were rarely found inside the walls.

Squad Leader Hange was busy babbling about things that Eren didn’t understand but eventually the younger brunet had the courage to interrupt the squad leader.

“Excuse me, I hate to interrupt you but I’ve been bothered by a question that I wanted to ask you.”

Hange smiled kindly, “Go ahead, dear. What’s on your mind?”

“I was thinking about your theory on mates.” Eren started hesitantly as color flooded his cheeks, “I know it sounds pretty stupid but do you think that kind of instinct can also apply on titan shif—“

“EREN! OH DEAR SINA! DID SOMETHING HAPPEN? TELL ME EVERYTHING!” Hange squealed excitedly as they pulled the boy towards their private tent to grab and scribble all over their messy notebook.

“Captain Levi will kill me...” Eren whined as he was forcefully pulled down to sit on a makeshift chair that was actually a wooden crate.

Hange winked conspiratorially, “Not if he doesn’t know! Come on, Eren! This is precious data! I might be even capable of helping you at this rate! Nothing much to lose, right?”

“I don’t think the captain is above cutting my balls off.” Eren winced as he fidgeted in his seat. “You know how he hates doing extra experiments and... well—“

The boy wasn’t sure if Levi would be fine with telling their close friends about their newly developed relationship. Their bond was still so young and Eren was afraid that it might break all because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

Hange smiled and scooted closer to the spooked soldier, “You can trust me on this, Eren. I know it doesn’t look like it but I’m really concerned about whatever is going on between you and Levi. Don’t make that face, boy! Of course I know that this mating thing has something to do with our tiny little captain!”

“Well, okay.” Eren relented because even if he feared for his life, the new changes in his body and the non-stop instinct getting drilled into his brain were making the brunet miserable. “I don’t really know how to put it in words but I’ve been changing a lot especially when it comes to the captain.”

Hange nodded seriously.

“I-I’ve been craving for his scent since we became uh... well, intimate? Also, I’ve been very protective of him that it’s kinda annoying since he’s the captain and he’s more than capable of taking care of himself! There’s strange new smells too and I don’t know what they are but it triggers some sort of emotion in me! Plus it’s like I’m connected to Levi in fucked up way!”

Eren rambled on and complained about losing himself more to instinct and emotion than ever before. The squad leader just kept writing everything down and nodding for the boy to continue when the flaps of the tent suddenly burst in and revealed Oluo who was muttering a greeting.

“Squad Leader Hange, permission to speak to Eren.”

“Wow! You’re such a cockblock, Oluo!” Hange whined and stretched in their seat. “Nevertheless, get Eren out of here. He looks a bit exhausted from this little interrogation of mine! Oh, is Levi okay now?”

Oluo nodded and almost tripped on his feet when Eren ran past him and towards the tent for the infirmary.

“Oi, fucking disrespectful brat!” Oluo shouted but Eren remained unfazed and continued sprinting away.

Hange laughed and roughly patted Oluo, “Don’t even try, Oluo! Nothing can prevent the natural instinct of a protective titan!”

The string of frustrated sighs and grumbling from the medics further confirmed to Levi that a certain brat finally heard the news that the captain was patched up and feeling slightly better. The senior soldiers were adamant on keeping Eren away but they were waved off by Petra as per Levi’s instruction.

“They’re such asses sometimes, aren’t they?” Petra complained as she escorted Eren to Levi’s makeshift bed.

“I just really want to see the captain.” Eren answered and unwaveringly walked past some of the soldiers giving him confused or dirty looks.

Eld and Gunther nodded at both Petra and Eren when they reached the secluded area where Levi was resting. The weird tension was broken when the younger soldier’s eyes landed on his injured mate and a deep purr of worry and relief vibrated in Eren’s chest. The boy flung himself beside Levi with soft cooing and whimpering noises that had Squad Levi’s eyebrows reaching up their hairline.

“Uh, Eren? Are you okay?” Gunther questioned hesitantly as he eyed the affectionate brunet who kneeled beside Levi and rubbed his head against the older man’s hand that was ruffling his chocolate brown hair.

“Mmm’ fine.” Eren answered distractedly.

It didn’t help that Petra also made soft cooing noises as she openly appreciated the scene before her. A possessive wave punched Levi in the gut as he realized that his squad was watching him and Eren. The feeling was kicked to the side by the captain’s sheer will and he calmly told the squad that they could leave and let him rest while he took care of his bratty visitor.

The group saluted the captain and left without question but not without knowing smirks painting across their faces. Levi didn’t find it in himself to be pissed since he was already aware that Petra and the others had a clue about his affections towards Eren.

“Oi, Eren. You can stop purring like a damn cat now.”

“I hate this.” Eren hissed as he angrily balled his fists in an effort to contain himself.

Levi quirked a brow, “Hate what?”

“I can’t control my instincts towards you! I’m acting like a damn animal and it’s fucking creepy! I don’t know how to go about this at all!”

The captain sighed and was thankful that at least his section of the infirmary had dividers so that other snooping soldiers won’t have to see the blatant evidence of the changed relationship between him and his charge. Without hesitation, Levi pulled Eren gently towards him and made the boy sit at the edge of the bed.

“Do you not want this with me?”

Eren quickly frowned and felt his eyes sting, “Of course I want to be with you! Don’t say such stupid things, captain!”

“Then what are you so worried about, brat? I thought we both agreed that we’re a team.”

“I’m just... so new to this. My body is also changing and I’ve been craving you more and more.” Eren answered with embarrassment coating his voice. “I just don’t know how to do this and it’s scaring me.”

Levi hummed in acknowledgment, “You can fucking take a beating from me, get subjected to that four-eyed shit’s experiments, and kill titans on a daily basis but a relationship with me scares you to hell? Can’t you give yourself a bit more credit? It’s frustrating me.”

“But—“

“We walk down this road together, Eren. I’ve waited for you long enough and I’m not allowing you to bail on me because you’re fucking scared. I’m losing my shit too but I won’t easily quit just like you don’t give up on the things that matters to you.”

Eren eyed his mate with so much warmth and affection that Levi felt a bit overwhelmed.

“Shit, don’t look at me like that. I’m crap at words but I’m trying, okay?”

“You’re such a liar!” Eren laughed. “I also didn’t say I was giving up. I just said I was scared but when the hell did that ever stop a monster like me?”

Levi felt his lips curl in amusement as the younger soldier grinned at him brightly. Ever since Eren knew of how Levi saw him as a ‘monster’, the boy had been proudly living up to the title like he earned the highest award in the world. The two knew what being a monster meant and it wasn’t in the way that other people understood it. They’re both monsters who are unbreakable and will never bend to the will of others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending was heavily influenced by the visual novel "Burning Bright in the Forests of the Night". If you haven't seen it or at least read about it then I suggest you look into this beautiful material! It's really nice and gives us a different view on Levi and Eren and uuughh my feelings.


	8. Operation: How To Get Laid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Majority of the Survey Corps escaped the risk of losing their lives. A newfound land means newfound piles of paperwork. The younger soldiers are out to get Levi and Eren to finally screw and the captain finds himself in a shitty ride that will take his patience and emotions in a whole other world of "what the actual fuck?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my lovelies! I'm finally back after a stressful week full of case readings but I have come with a pretty decent apology chapter. This is waaay longer than the usual so strap in for my very first smut. 
> 
> Yes, that's right. It's a smut fest. 
> 
> If you don't feel comfortable with smut or the fact that Levi tops, feel free to just skip the latter half of this chapter! I'm going to make sure to fill you guys in on the important plot details you missed in the next one should you chose not to read this part.

To say everyone was excited to go home was an understatement. Upon the announcement of the commander that the mission was a success, the rest of the soldiers sagged in relief and cheered loudly as they were yet again spared from having to worry if they would still be alive the next day.

Eren, Armin and Mikasa have been too caught up with exploring the new territory that they failed to notice that everyone was packing up to leave. Only selected senior soldiers were to stay and setup camp to further contain the newfound land.

“Eren! We’re leaving in a few hours. Get your ass out here and help Petra with the spare horses.” Levi yelled from afar as he watched the three young soldiers scramble away from a field of tiny wildflowers. Eren laughed loudly as he waved at the captain and lightly pushed Armin aside to cheat on their friendly game of race. The captain felt a tiny curl of his lips at the display and shook his head.

The Survey Corps knew of the captain’s skill to contain any speck of emotion to the point that most of them thought that he is incapable of feeling empathy for others. It was only through the continual presence of Eren and the Special Operations Squad that the soldiers had a front row seat of how caring the captain could be. In effect, no one said a word when Eren pressed closer to Levi more than usual.

“Race with me, Eren!” Hange laughed manically as they galloped past Squad Levi.

“I’m sorry but I don’t want to leave the captain’s side as of now.” Eren gently declined and the rest of the squad bit back knowing smirks. They treated Levi as family but they’re not stupid enough to give the man a reason to shave their heads off.

Hange pouted dramatically, “Aww! No fair! You can’t just hog Eren all to yourself, Levi! Tell him to play with me!”

Levi growled his displeasure and flipped the squad leader his middle finger. “Get your own titan.”

* * *

   
It has been three weeks since the Survey Corps have finally returned within the walls with their successful news. Unfortunately, the success also meant that Erwin, Hange, and Levi would be drowning in documents which ranged from formal reports of the new territory down to shitty boring requests for god knows what.

Levi’s mood went from pleasantly content to downright “fuck-everyone-within-reach-of-a-ten-foot-pole”.The weather shifted from drizzling to searing hot that he felt like he’s constantly sweating even if he’s in the shower.

“Yo, Levi!” Hange greeted the captain in his office as a thin sheet of sweat plastered their forehead.

Levi groaned in disgust as he threw a spare cloth at the monstrosity before they drip sweat all over his precious sterile office.

“Get my things dirty and I’ll rip your arms off. Wipe your gross face, four eyes.”

“Wow you’re an extra bitch today!” Hange rolled their eyes but complied with the rude request. “You’re going to have to take over the training of the kids by the way. We’re one man down since Anderson got himself sick because of the heat.”

“What the fuck? I can’t take over! I have shit tons of papers I have to pile through. Get someone else to do it!” Levi growled as he shoved his pen into the inkwell. Gods, he hated paperwork because the ink gets in between his nails and it makes him want to punch someone.

Hange sighed and sat ungracefully on Levi’s couch, “No can do, mister. The senior officers were cut short because of the latest expedition and there’s no one else who can push the younger soldiers at this kind of weather.”

“I really have no choice in this do I?”

“Nope!” Hange answered with a pop. “Don’t be so down, though. Eren would look delicious when sticking his ass up in public for you.”

Levi groaned as he stood up from his seat and willed himself not to kick Hange’s teeth in.

“Whoa there, don’t tell me you two haven’t gone down and dirty!?” Hange shrieked in fake distress.

“I’m not a pervert, jackass!” Levi spat angrily and grabbed the little shit by their ponytail, “Besides, I’ve been too fucking busy with these papers to properly devour the brat so excuse me if I haven’t done anything else!”

Hange made a confused noise, “But Eren said you two had your intimate moments back in the forest!? I thought you plowed him through the floorboards! Boo, Levi! You’re getting too slow, old man.”

Levi ignored the squad leader as he slightly limped his way to the training grounds full of sweaty teens trying to cool themselves. At his presence, the entire group stood at attention and obediently followed the captain’s every bark of orders. Eren himself didn’t look any better as the boy panted through the exercise. The captain could feel himself choking on air as his young mate’s thin shirt clung to his well toned body in the most sinful way.

Hange whistled lowly and nudged Levi, “I feel so sorry for your dick right now, Levi. You’ve deprived it of some good ass. Doesn’t he look cute?”

The captain glared at Hange, “Why are you so goddamned obsessed with my sex life? And when did you ever find _my Eren_ attractive!?”

Hange grinned and laughed as they threw their hands up in surrender. “I won’t hit that because I’m honestly not interested! Christ, Levi! Don’t get all possessive mate on me! I just wanted what’s best for you and I know you want Eren badly!”

And because the cosmos hated Levi, Eren had stopped within the line of sight of the pair to rid himself of his sticky shirt. The brunet was breathing harshly as thin drops of sweat dripped over his delicious caramel skin. A cute blush also spread across the teen’s face and the front of his chest that would have made the captain go stir crazy if it wasn’t for the fact that he was standing in the middle of the training grounds with a bunch of other teens watching him closely.

The laps apparently ended and the soldiers tossed each other bags of water made from animal skin. Eren lapped up the water he had messily drained into his mouth. The little shit was absolutely drenched and his pants clung tighter to that beautiful crotch and ass. _What the fuck? Was he doing this on purpose!?_

“Are you done making a porn star out of yourself, Jaeger?” Levi growled in annoyance as he crossed his arms in an attempt to appear intimidating rather than turned on.

Eren cocked his head to the side innocently and pushed his messy bangs out of his face, “I don’t understand, sir. I’m just really feeling hot today.”

Hange laughed loudly and gave Eren a thumbs up before making a hasty retreat back to Erwin’s office. The same scenario always kept happening for the past few weeks and it’s been pulling the captain’s patience in a taut stretch. He honestly didn’t know if Eren was purposely making himself sexier or he’s just a really perverted old man who can’t keep it in his pants.

Well, two can play at that game.

“Hmm, you’re right. It’s insanely hot isn’t it?” Levi casually hummed as he slowly unravelled and pulled his cravat from his neck. The captain internally smirked as he watched Eren gulp at the sight of his superior’s exposed skin. Of course, Levi had a sadistic side in him and added a pop of his top buttons just to punish the little shit. At this point, he can’t seriously be called out on trying to seduce his partner since he had the perfect excuse of suffering through the heat.

Eren isn’t the only monster in this field apparently.

The brunet pouted and clenched his fists as he stomped away to head towards his group of rowdy friends. There were still a bunch of drills to be done before the training was officially over and Levi mourned at the fact that he can’t join and tease his mate because of his injured leg and sprained ankle.

* * *

  
“Damn, I thought the stripping would finally work.” Ymir groaned out as she half-heartedly tried to dodge Krista’s kick. Connie and Sasha made mutual hums of disappointment since they practically lost a portion of their meals in a bet against the others. Ymir also wasn’t happy to lose her spare time from work but she refused to fully bitch about it since Reiner will probably gloat to hell. _The bastard_.

“Well, I guess it’s finally our turn to try something out!” Reiner announced as he jokingly trapped Bertolt in a chokehold which had the other cussing lowly and whining.

Eren, on the other hand, was brooding and refused to take Mikasa seriously. The boy had been waiting for weeks to finally get his hands on the captain and none of his advances were properly responded to. Eren’s patience had already worn thin since he fully restrained himself from begging the captain to be intimate with him since the older man was injured but damn it! Levi was already near full recovery and he barely even tried to touch Eren! The brunet groaned in frustration and squawked indignantly as he was thrown over the head by his sister.

“Fuck, Mikasa! What the hell!?” Eren yelped helplessly as he flailed.

“If you’re so bothered by it, why don’t you just ask him to have sex with you?” Mikasa stated impassively as everyone else choked on their spit from trying not to laugh or snort. The younger Ackerman really had a way with words.

Eren blushed and scrambled at his feet as he pointed an accusing finger at Mikasa, “I am not that desperate!”

Mikasa quirked a brow and crossed her arms in a very Levi way that had Eren groaning in frustration.

“Come on, Eren!” Reiner chuckled and threw an arm over the brunet. “We’ll get you Captain Levi no matter what it takes! Our plan will surely work!”

“Reiner, we can both get killed by this.” Bertolt sighed as he pried off Reiner from the choking emotional mess that was Eren. “The captain can get quite possessive, you know.”

“Maybe Reiner’s the second suicidal bastard.” Jean chimed in and sauntered into the scene. “You should appreciate his work if you do get laid, Eren. We’ll make sure it’s carved in his gravestone.”

The rest of the group laughed and faked their grieving and funeral messages. Reiner waved them all off and assured Eren that this was a sure way to get the captain to finally make a move on him. If Eren had some ounce of self-preservation, he would have declined the stupid idea but Eren is Eren only if he does something extremely cocky and will most probably get his ass handed to him.

“Okay! Let’s do it!” Eren yelled determinedly as his face contorted into downright murderous. Mikasa and Armin knew that look and the two were fully convinced that there’s no way for them to talk Eren out of whatever crazy idea it is that they’re about to do.

“I’ll prepare his funeral clothes.” Mikasa commented blandly with a bored expression. “Are you coming, Armin?”

The blond laughed and shook his head, “I’ll probably watch over so Captain Levi won’t throw his cold, dead body in a ditch somewhere.”

“You guys! Thanks for the fucking support!” Eren complained as he stalked off to finally begin his plan.

* * *

   
Sasha bit her nails nervously as she stood alongside Krista, Connie, Armin and Ymir right under a big oak tree. It was her job to make some noise so that they’ll get the captain’s attention but the simple job of yelling is making her want to piss her pants since it was meant to attract the most dangerous man within the walls.

“I hope I can get my extra serving back because of this! I’m gonna shit myself!” Sasha shrieked as Eren finally found his footing and dangled himself between the thick branches.

“No cheating, Braus!” Reiner chuckled as he positioned himself with Bertolt.

“Is there really no reasoning with you, Eren?” Bertolt sighed at the brunet. It wasn’t a surprise that Eren answered with a ‘no’ and ended their conversation there. Bertolt was sure he didn’t join the military just to be sliced into premium meat cuts by a jealous captain.

“Alright! Ready when you are Sasha!” Reiner grinned and slapped his hands together in preparation for their stupid stunt.

Sasha breathed deeply and gripped Connie’s arm painfully as she prepared her loudest shriek. Ymir made an impressed hum as the rest covered their ears because of the high-pitched noise coming out from Sasha’s throat. The screaming sounded perfect since it sounded distressed and scared... which is actually what Sasha was feeling.

“EREN! BE CAREFUL!” Sasha screamed again and almost turned herself blue.

The planned effect of the screaming finally worked and a few soldiers had already glanced at the group’s direction. Eren grinned to himself as he crawled closer to the edge of the branch where his key dangled dangerously at the tip. The point of the scene was to make it look like someone had accidentally thrown his key up the tree and now he had to get it himself. It was perfect timing that they had no maneuver gear training today or else it wouldn’t have worked.

“Don’t hurt yourself, Eren!” Reiner shouted worriedly with a hint of grin on his face. Bertolt was right in front of him, both ready to catch Eren at the right moment.

From afar, the group could already feel a disturbing presence marching towards them. Captain Levi was slowly making his way towards the oak tree, slightly slowed down because of his injury, and the rest of the squad forcefully willed themselves not to blow their plan by looking guilty or scared.

Eren glanced at his lover’s direction and was pleased that Levi was almost beneath the tree. With a quick wiggle of his fingers to grab the key and a wrong kick backwards, the brunet fell fast. The soldiers who watched gasped in distress as Eren fell.

“EREN!” Mikasa shouted worriedly as she jogged towards the scene.

Levi had stopped walking and felt his heart give in as he saw his young mate fall down from the tree in a heap of flailing limbs. The captain was about ready to run and risk himself of tearing at his healing wounds when Reiner jumped forward and caught the boy with his strong arms. The momentary relief he felt when Reiner managed to catch Eren was replaced with seething anger as the blond pressed Eren tightly against him.

“Are you alright, doll face?” Reiner cheekily grinned as Eren slipped lower to wrap his legs around the other’s waist.

A pleased sigh followed with a grin spread on Eren’s face. “Thanks for catching me!” Eren laughed heartily as he placed his hands on Reiner’s broad shoulders to steady himself. The two could practically feel the intense hateful glare that the captain was giving them but the show’s not over yet.

Bertolt snuck his fingers just above Eren’s waist, “Thank goodness you’re not hurt. You got us all worried.”

Reiner chuckled deeply and moved his head closer to Eren’s which made the teal eyed teenager blush profusely and squirm at the attention.That made Levi snap and almost made a move to punch the two towering tree logs of shit.

“What the actual fuck is going on here?” Levi growled lowly as his intimidating grey eyes almost turned into slits in his irritation that someone else was pressing close to his Eren. The captain had crossed his arms and stood tall with a scarily impassive gaze. Everyone within the vicinity felt the urge to run away.

“Just hanging around, sir!” Eren grinned and small whispers of _‘He’s suicidal!’_ were muttered all around.

“Oh? Does that involve wrapping your legs around people as well?” Levi snarled and tapped his foot impatiently.

A thrill ran down Eren’s spine as Levi got more dangerous, “I only do it if they would allow me.”

Levi finally lost his patience and grabbed the younger male by the collar and physically dragged him off Reiner and Bertolt. The brunet yelped at the immense strength that almost had his face planted to the ground.

“Fucking touch this shitty brat again and I will cut your limbs off like the filthy pigs you are, understood?” Levi hissed threateningly and both Reiner and Bertolt saluted the captain in confirmation.

“And you!” The captain bellowed harshly at the kneeling brunet, “Looks like I really need to discipline you like a dog, brat! Get on your fucking feet!”

Mikasa and Armin watched worriedly as Eren got dragged by the seething captain. They were really concerned but by the looks of their childhood friend’s small grins, it looked like Eren was immensely pleased with the result of his experiment.

“Shit!” Jean cursed as he dodged away from the general direction of the captain. “You fuckers did it without me!?”

Ymir laughed loudly as Bertolt felt his knees give in and almost passed out from sweating too much. Reiner laughed at the other man and embraced him for a job well done.

“You should definitely climb me like a tree just like what Eren did!” Reiner lewdly joked.

Bertolt rolled his eyes and smacked the other with the back of his hand, “I’m taller than you! Also, I don’t need that kind of crap when I’m on the verge of losing my shit. We are never doing that again even if it’s to help someone get laid!”

* * *

   
Eren gasped and got the wind knocked out of his lungs as he was harshly pressed against the door of the captain’s private quarters. The teen blinked and squirmed as Levi unrelentingly shoved the other with an angry growl.

“You’re such a little shit, aren’t you?” Levi hissed as he closed in on Eren. “Just who do you think you are doing crap like that?”

“P-Please!” Eren gasped again and tried to wiggle his way out of Levi’s tight hold of his shirt, “I wasn’t doing anything wrong!”

Displeased with the answer, Levi shoved his uninjured thigh right between the boy’s legs and pressed it near the Eren’s crotch. The brunet whined at the action and instinctively tried to pull himself closer towards the warm clothed flesh of his superior.

“You don’t get to open your legs to anyone like that!” Levi spat. “You only get to wrap your legs around me, brat. Should I catch you pulling that kind of crap again, I swear to Maria, I will fuck you to the ground right in front of everyone.”

Eren shivered and unconsciously pleaded a ‘yes, please’ as he drowned in his uncontrolled lust for Levi. The boy’s eyes started glowing with a soft ring of gold once more as his hands desperately searched for Levi’s exposed skin.

“Ohoh? I don’t think you deserve a reward after what you did. Perhaps I should make you wait longer.”

The brunet growled violently and managed to shove the captain towards the bed. “I don’t want to wait!” Eren cried as he pressed his overheated body against the firm one that was pinned beneath him.

“Want you... want you to fuck me!”

Levi hissed as his young mate started grinding his hardening length against Levi’s own. It didn’t help that Eren’s hot mouth started suckling harshly on the captain’s exposed pale neck. A frenzy of lust and mild irritation filled Levi’s head as he tried to figure out what was the right course of action. Apparently, his dick was taking the reins and Levi was left helpless at the onslaught of lewd noises and sucking that his Eren was making.

After gaining back some sense of consciousness, Levi flipped them over and singlehandedly pinned Eren. “What a spoiled brat. I did say I was going to discipline you. Don’t think that you’ve gotten away from punishment.”

Eren groaned his approval as Levi harshly claimed the younger’s open mouth. The captain clawed at the younger’s jacket and practically ripped off the offending clothes and threw them haphazardly across the floor. This wasn’t the time for Levi’s inner clean freak to bitch because he really needed his mate naked and begging for him.

Eren was left exposed as his chest glimmered with sweat and his white pants had been opened and pushed down to allow his hardened member to spring from his boxers. The boy was panting loudly and clawing at the air in a silent plea for Levi to come closer and let him rip off the other’s clothes as well.

“You’re not tearing apart my dress shirt.” Levi glared as he pulled off his loose cravat.

“Levi, please touch me or I will lose my mind!” Eren grumbled as he anxiously bit his hand softly. The captain pried away the flesh from Eren’s mouth and replaced it with his own lips. The boy made pleased sounds as his hands traced downwards to the curves of Levi’s toned chest and abs. Sweet Maria, Sina, and Rose, bless them for Levi Ackerman.

The captain chuckled softly at the younger’s exploring fingers and shrugged off his dress shirt completely. Eren complained yet again when Levi pulled away to fold the item and toss it towards an empty chair.

“Is that really necessary?” Eren huffed with a pout that should have been ridiculous with his current state of undress but Levi found it very appealing.

“You’re in no position to complain.” Levi smirked as he pressed his thigh against Eren’s leaking cock. A garbled moan escaped the boy as he arched his back in pleasure. The captain continued to tease the other relentlessly, hell-bent on hearing every kind of noise that Eren could produce. By the end of Levi’s prodding and stroking, Eren was a mess of searching limbs that tried to touch as much of Levi as he can. Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance since he couldn’t do as much as he pleased while Eren was still in the middle of submitting and fighting for dominance.

With an inhuman willpower, the raven haired captain pushed himself off of the brunet and fumbled for his cravat. Eren made a noise of confusion and gasped as his hands were tied securely above his head. In ordinary circumstances, Eren might have lashed out or kicked the bastard who tried to restrain him but the boy’s full trust in his captain turned the action into a more erotic stimulant.

“C-Captain?” Eren whimpered as he tugged experimentally at the cloth.

“You’re too fucking handsy, brat. This is also a part of your punishment.” Levi answered as he climbed lower and mouthed at the teen’s stomach.

Eren squirmed at the attention as his captain trailed dangerously low enough to brush against his tip. Levi gave him a playful nip before ripping off Eren’s dangling boots and crumpled pants out of the way. The sudden rush of movement made the boy gasp and close his legs unconsciously.

“Oi, who told you that you could deprive me of a good view?” Levi growled lowly as he parted the teen’s legs. It didn’t take much effort since Eren himself was more than pleased to present for his mate. Although, truth be told that the boy is actually a bit nervous. Eren’s anxiety was increasing steadily as they progressed to the main show. He really wanted to please the captain and Eren didn’t know if his instincts will save him from the embarrassment of coming early like a virgin that he is.

“C-Can I tell you something first?” Eren choked out as he eyed Levi who was too busy kissing every inch of Eren’s exposed caramel colored skin.

“What is it?” Levi hummed as he suckled lewdly on Eren’s inner thigh.

“Nngh! Can’t think straight when you’re doing that!” Eren whined as he pressed himself closer to the captain who was more than happy to leave trails of light bruises on the younger male. “Levi, please. It’s important.”

Levi levelled him with a glare but was quick to stop on his mission to mark his mate. It didn’t matter if the captain was hard as a rock and is on the brink of losing his mind, he’d still stop if Eren told him he’s crossing the line.

“Fuck yes it better be important.”

“I-It’s my first time!” Eren blurted out. “I don’t want to disappoint you!”

Levi drew a deep breath through his nose as he sat up and pushed his bangs away from his face. So it’s the brat’s first time and the kid was getting nervous that he won’t do a good job at it? For fuck’s sake, Eren’s mere presence is enough to throw the captain into a frenzy of horny feelings. The boy didn’t even know that he doesn’t need to try hard to please the other man. _What a complicated little shit_.

Misunderstanding Levi’s sudden silence, Eren lowered his eyes and tried to pull away.

“Move one inch further away from me and I will kick you off this bed.” Levi warned as he placed a warm hand on Eren’s waist to stop the other from leaving. The captain was sure he’s crap at words but he had to think of something before the younger idiot decides to attach himself with his insecurity.

“Do you trust me, Eren?” Levi asked in a serious tone as he made eye contact with the teal eyed shifter.

The brunet’s mouth formed a thin line as he determinedly gazed back at Levi. A flash of something dangerous and wild flickered in Eren’s eyes; reminiscent of the first time the two talked between steel bars in an underground cell.

“With my life.”

Levi’s eyes widened for a fraction of a moment before he climbed over Eren to reach for the restraints. The boy shook his head in a silent form of consent to being tied up longer which got the captain quirking a dark brow. Levi simply nodded and returned to his interrupted work. Plans have changed in the older man’s mind. Punishment for the brat’s cocky actions can wait later. He needed to assure Eren that he was more than enough and that Levi is determined to be at Eren’s side until the end of his life.

Eren’s mouth opened in a silent moan as he felt Levi’s lips mouth at his shaft until they reached the end of his drooling tip. It took a huge amount of effort not to thrust into the captain’s hot cavern as Levi sucked and slid Eren inside in a painfully slow pace. By the time Eren felt himself hit the back of his captain’s throat, the brunet was already panting with so much effort to plant his hips against the bed. The shifter let out a scream as Levi sucked harshly and bobbed his head up and down. It was getting too much and Eren’s inexperience was catching up on him.

“S-Sir! Levi! Please, wait! I’m gonna cum if you keep doing that!” Eren gasped as Levi’s pale hand pumped him in perfect rhythm with the bobbing of his head.

Levi’s steel eyes fluttered open and eyed the shuddering boy in a silent message to trust him. Eren couldn’t form words anymore and let himself be lost into the eyes of his superior that was now filled with warmth. After what seemed like an agonizing forever, Levi freed Eren’s cock from his mouth with a lewd pop that almost made Eren cum if it weren’t for his determination to stay hard as long as Levi needed him.

Unfortunately, the boy didn’t stand a chance when Levi returned from his little trek towards his bedside drawer to grab a bottle of what looks suspiciously like lube. Eren eyed the bottle as the captain poured a generous amount of it over his fingers.

“This will hurt a bit since you’re pretty new at this.” Levi frowned deeply. “I promise to do my best to distract you, okay? If it hurts too much, you fucking tell me. I won’t hurt you.”

Eren nodded and spread his legs further. It was true that he didn’t have any previous partners because he’d always go soft before they actually did anything serious. The image of Levi always made Eren feel too guilty and unsatisfied. However, this doesn’t mean that Eren didn’t try to play with himself in the showers while thinking of his extremely delicious captain.

Levi quickly dove back to put Eren’s cock in his mouth as curious wet fingers trailed over caramel thighs. Eren bit his lip harshly as the tip of the captain’s fingers played and soothed his hole. The older man was surely taking his time and when Eren was about to complain, a slicked finger slipped inside him that caused the brunet to accidentally thrust into the captain’s mouth.

“S-Shit! I’m sorry!”

Levi sputtered and coughed but shook his head. “I’m fine. I was just surprised.”

Before Eren got too worried, Levi continued his prodding and sucking. It didn’t take much time for three fingers to fit into Eren’s wet hole and the captain was immensely pleased that the younger was still as hard as ever. With a curl of Levi’s fingers, Eren let out a wail as he came inside Levi’s mouth.

“Oh Maria! Are you okay!?” Eren asked worriedly but was surprised with the image of Levi licking up the cum that dribbled down his chin. It was insanely erotic and if it weren’t for the fact that Eren just came, the boy would have gotten hard again.

“Last chance to back out, Eren.” Levi warned as he stood up from the bed to rid himself of his boots and agonizingly tight pants. The younger rolled his eyes at the audacity of the captain to ask him that. Eren had been waiting for weeks to get Levi’s dick in him and he’d be damned before he says no to being fucked by the man.

“Sir, with all due respect, I will fucking back out if you don’t shove that cock into me.” Eren hissed as he tugged at his restraints yet again. The asshole was good at tying up Eren even with just a flimsy cravat.

Levi only smirked as he rendered his mate speechless by just being stark naked. Eren openly gaped as Levi’s impressive length was finally released from the confines of the military issued pants. It wasn’t that it was stupidly big but Eren had been trying to imagine what it looked like and he’s pleased to say that he was not disappointed.

Unfortunately, the healing wound acted up after all the effort of maintaining compromising positions and Levi hissed at the reddened scarring on his thigh. Eren frowned at the sight and wiggled his arms to loosen the cravat.

“Please, let me touch you.”

The older Ackerman nodded and crawled up gingerly above Eren to untie the item and let the boy freely grope his equally naked mate. The brunet started kissing the other enthusiastically until Levi fell flat on his back on the not so pristine white bed.

“You can properly screw me when this heals, yeah?” Eren whispered gently as he trailed nimble fingers along the stitch that was turning into a permanent scar. “For now, let me do this.”

Levi was about to protest when he felt his younger mate position himself atop the captain’s throbbing cock. In one swoop, Eren impaled himself greedily with loud huffs and moans that almost punched Levi into unconsciousness. The fucking brat was a virgin but it was like he knew how to properly make Levi lose his mind.

The aggression and untamed spirit of Eren showed in how much he fucked himself on Levi’s cock and the captain was thankful that he wasn’t so much of an old man and could still keep up with this insane shifter who looked like he was an animal in heat. The insistent throbbing of Levi’s thigh and ankle didn’t stop him from meeting Eren’s movements and soon enough the room was filled with the filthy sounds of skin slapping against each other.

“Nnh... can’t anymore. Please!” Eren pleaded desperately as he felt himself fall onto Levi’s chest. The brunet’s cock was painfully hard again and he was getting exhausted.

“Shh, I got you.” Levi crooned as he took the reins and thrust into Eren unrelentingly. The boy allowed himself to be penetrated deeply and just clung unto his captain as he felt a sob wrench out of his throat at how good and right it all felt.

“Levi! There, please! Don’t stop!” Eren pleaded as his eyes got swallowed in by more gold and black. The younger started lapping up and nipping at Levi’s shoulder as his fingers painfully clawed into the captain’s sides. Levi should have found it odd that whenever they were being intimate, Eren was acting strangely and his eyes would always glow a soft gold. Instead, Levi found himself naturally accepting the oddity and actually sees it as a beautiful thing.

“E-Eren. I’m close!” Levi hissed. The younger’s eyes widened as the captain hit his precious bundle of nerves; a strangled wail and sob was dragged out from Eren as he bit viciously into Levi’s shoulder. The older man hissed in a mix of pain and pleasure as he spilled his seed into Eren. It took the two a few grunts of exhaustion before they finally came to their senses.

“Oi, brat, did you just fucking maul me?”

Eren flinched and pushed himself off of Levi only to be dragged down by the painful way his ass throbbed. “I didn’t mean to!”

Levi stared at his mate and prayed for the first time in his life that this not be part of their ritual when they have sex because he’s going to lose a fucking shoulder in no time. The brunet was about to babble his apologies when a rising steam caught the attention of the two.

“W-What’s happening!?” Eren cried as he eyed the steam that was coming from different parts of Levi; mainly, the stitch on his thigh, the slightly swollen ankle, and the fresh bite on his shoulder.

The captain’s eyes widened as he touched his wounds and noticed that they were healing in the same way Eren always healed whenever he self-harmed to transform. This was fucking insane and Hange was sure to be summoned in this shitty room by the mere oddity of it. The ass of a researcher could smell weird within a fifty mile radius.

“You’re always a package of surprise aren’t you, Eren?” Levi chuckled deeply. “I’m sure you'd make even the constipated shit themselves if they heard about this.”

Eren groaned and sprawled over Levi despite the mess in between their bodies. “Can’t fucking catch a break, damn it! Why can’t I love someone without fucking them up!?”

The two tensed visibly at Eren’s sudden burst of confession. The shifter mumbled curses as he dragged himself away but Levi caught his wrist before Eren could peel himself off of the captain.

“If it makes you feel any better, I kinda fuck up the people I love too. The good thing is we’re both shit before we met each other so we can’t possibly make it any worse, right?”

Eren grinned brightly at Levi. It wasn’t exactly the cheesiest line out there but the young shifter knew that his love wasn’t good with words but who was he kidding? Eren was pretty shit at words too.

“Mmm. I love you too, grumpy!”

“What a shitty brat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't that a sexy ride? As I said, first attempt at smut and I'm really impressed by authors who could pull this off without breaking a sweat because it took me days to piece this one together. 
> 
> Comments? Kudos? Thank you so much for sticking with me!  
> We're reaching the near end, folks!


	9. That's What Mates Are For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A first dive into the oddity of what makes titan pairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of a clarification about what happened last chapter and also a cute look into the reaction of the Survey Corps when they find out that the two finally did the dirty deed.
> 
> Some of the scenarios are kind of spoilers? ish?? Well you won't really notice unless you've read the manga. The smiling Levi is not ooc is what I really just wanted to say!

Come dinnertime, Levi wasn’t the one with the limp anymore.

Eren had a hard time going down the stairs as his backside throbbed and protested against the strain of having to walk far just to get some food in his stomach. The captain refused to bring their dinner inside his private quarters because _‘it’s already too fucking dirty with spit and cum. I’m not adding shitty crumbs of food into the mix.’_

“I bet you’re enjoying the fact that I have to do the walk of shame into the mess hall.” Eren whined as he massaged his back to relieve himself of the pain.

Levi smirked and smacked Eren’s ass which elicited a yelp from the shifter. “Being fucked by me isn’t equal to any walk of shame, brat. It’s a fucking honor.”

Eren rolled his eyes as he continued walking. It did help that the captain had spoiled him thoroughly with a relaxing bath but for some reason his healing wasn’t kicking in as fast as it should. The young shifter thought shyly to himself that maybe it’s because he didn’t want to forget that he made love with his own mate.

He was really getting used to calling Levi his mate, isn’t he?

By the time the two arrived at the entrance of the mess hall, the group of rowdy soldiers being led by Connie and Jean came to a hushed stop as they took in Eren’s appearance. The brunet’s hair was still damp and unruly, there were deep bruises just underneath his collar, and a deep scarlet painted his flushed face as he tried to hide his limping.

“Fucking finally!” Reiner cheered as everyone in the mess hall erupted into shouts of joy and lewd whistling.

The captain tried to fight back his smirk but failed as his mate tried to cower away from the hoots of laughter and teasing from his fellow soldiers.

“Get your ass to the table, Eren. You’ve done a lot of exercise and I’m sure you’re starving.”

“C-Captain, please!” Eren groaned miserably.

“Oh, and don’t forget,” Levi hissed suddenly as he yanked Eren towards him, “You’re not to play with those two towers of abnormal trees, understood?”

The brunet gulped and nodded, still not minding the noise from the hall as he drowned in Levi’s intimidating and highly attractive glare.

“Good. We need to go talk to four eyes after dinner so hurry up.”

* * *

   
The captain was received by a highly energetic ball of Hange who kept talking in high-pitched, fast paced sentences that was giving him a major migraine. Erwin was laughing heartily into his drink as the squad leader embraced the grouchy captain tightly and congratulated him to no end.

“You finally did it! I’m so proud of you! Was Eren that good? Did any of his titan abilities kick in!? YOU HAVE TO TELL ME THE DETAILS, LEVI!!!” They shrieked excitedly as the rest of the Special Operations Squad snorted and laughed.

“Get your dirty shit off me, Hange! Disgusting!” Levi complained half-heartedly as he pushed his friend away and fumbled for his handkerchief to wipe the stray gravy that was smothered to his face.

Erwin shook his head and helped his smaller friend by prying away Hange who was literally vibrating with happiness. “It’s a surprise that you finally picked someone to stay with you, Levi. I never pegged you for the settling down type.”

Levi huffed and ungracefully took his seat right next to Erwin’s. “Don’t give me that crap, Erwin. I know what’s been going on and I’m fully aware that you’ve seen through my shit long before I even realized it.”

The commander quirked a brow and gave him the most innocent confused look. Damn that brow bastard for having the face of an angel and a soul of a scheming devil. The blond really knew how to get Levi to talk.

“I meant that I knew about your pathetic plan of getting me shacked up with the brat.”

Levi’s squad squirmed in their seats but Erwin and Hange remained unfazed. It was further confirmation that it’s not just his two idiot friends who were planning to get Eren and him together. It was most probably even the whole Survey Corps scheming against the captain for all he knows!

“Captain Levi—“

“Oh come on, Levi! We only—“

Levi cut them off by raising his hand. “I just wanted to say... thanks, guys.”

The whole team stared dumbly at the captain’s soft smile. It was barely there but they could see it clear as day because the shorter man never expressed any emotion. Oluo and Petra burst into embarrassing fits of tears together with Hange as everyone wept loudly at being touched by the captain’s thanks.

The commander smiled at his friend genuinely and patted the shorter male’s back. “We’re glad that you finally found happiness, Levi. You of all people deserve it in this cruel world.”

Levi snorted but nodded at his friend anyway, “Yeah, well, I know you have some kind of plan with this too, shitwin. You can’t fool me, ass!”

Erwin laughed but didn’t deny that somehow he did expect a little advantage at the pairing. Although, the advantage wasn’t much that it was meant to manipulate anyone. It was just an added motivation to get the two to work together in perfect sync.

“Oi, Hange. I need you to check on Eren and myself as well.” Levi grumbled in a displeased tone as he eyed his semi-cold dinner.

“What?” Hange asked incredulously as they wiped off stray tears and snot with the sleeve of their jacket. “Is this true? The grumpy captain Levi is allowing me to get my filthy mitts on him!? Titan sex must be incredible!”

The captain growled and flicked a spoonful of peas against Hange who squawked indignantly and tried to hide behind Moblit. “Head out of the gutter, shit for brains! Eren is acting weirdly and he managed to make me heal in an instant when he bit me hard. We just need to know what exactly happened.”

Oluo and Eld choked on their drinks as Petra worriedly patted them. It was still weird for the group to hear about the captain’s sexual adventures even if they knew that the two had already hooked up. The soldiers didn’t need that kind of imagery.

“Fantastic!” Hange squealed. “Meet me after dinner, okay? Bring little Eren with you so we could get to work! I have a few theories decked out!”

Levi groaned and slammed his palm against his forehead. Erwin simply laughed and told Levi that it would be better to simply get it over with if he was so worried about the healing incident. The shorter male grunted in confirmation but still felt annoyed that he had to put up with Hange’s yammering when he could have Eren all to himself for the whole night.

Fortunately for both Levi and Eren, dinner went down smoothly with minimal prodding and gossiping from their friends. Everyone was too exhausted because of the searing heat and the promise of a good rest and the cooling breeze of the night lulled the otherwise energetic bunch.

By the end of dinnertime, the new couple walked together towards the office of Squad Leader Hange. They were still getting a few stares from some of the soldiers but it’s mostly just normal affair since they’ve been dragging so much attention to themselves since they joined the Survey Corps.

“Can’t we do this tomorrow?” Eren yawned tiredly as he pawed at his bleary eyes. Levi shook his head at the endearing sight and pushed further into the corridor.

“I’m not sleeping unless we figure out what the hell you just did.” Levi answered impassively. “Besides, I promise it won’t take long. I’ll knock out Hange if they decide to keep us there for the entire night.”

Eren nodded sleepily as they finally reached Hange’s office door. The captain gestured for Eren to knock as he eyed the doorknob with as much disdain he had against titans and filth. The brunet laughed at his mate and knocked politely. They were answered by a very exhausted Moblit who looked like he was about to hang himself.

“Constipation isn’t a good look on you, Berner.” Levi snorted as he sidestepped to allow the distressed soldier to take his leave.

“I’m not exactly pleased with my look as well, Captain.” The dirty blond haired man responded with a sigh as he saluted the shorter man and waved a goodbye at Eren.

“Ah! Come in, you two!” Hange shouted from inside as the pair entered the office. Normally, Hange’s office isn’t too much of a mess but somehow some kind of devil might have been pissed off by the squad leader since the room looked like it was destroyed by a hurricane.

Levi clicked his tongue in disapproval as he kicked some stray boxes of crap away, “What the fuck is with this pigsty? How many times do I have to tell you to clean up after yourself like the damn adult you’re supposed to be!?”

“Hush, Levi!” Hange muttered seriously as they plunged half of their body in what looked like a mixed pile of boxes and books. “This is very important! I couldn’t use the lab because someone blew up half of it to the ground but what’s new, right?”

The captain rolled his eyes because he was sure that Hange had something to do with that disaster. After a few minutes of digging through the pile, Hange made a triumphant noise and pulled out a worn looking journal. Eren eyed the item curiously as he was escorted by the squad leader towards the only clean couch available.

Levi situated himself right beside his mate as he stretched out his right arm over the back of the couch. The action made Eren smile because this was exactly how the first few steps of their relationship started. Although, the younger is thankful that he wasn’t beaten up by the captain in this scenario.

“So, you need to tell me every single detail of what happened before I could have any solid idea.”

The raven haired captain sighed and drummed his fingers against his crossed legs. “His eyes glows gold like when he’s in titan form. Add in the fact that he does the same noises and whimpering when he can’t communicate as a titan. Brat also bit me when he climaxed then I started healing as that weird ass steam just came out of my wounds.”

Eren blushed intensely at the last part but was waved off by a giggling Hange who just furiously wrote on their journal. “I take it that maybe Eren’s saliva has something to do with this. The biting also makes sense cause it’s sort of a trigger to activate his abilities!”

Levi hummed thoughtfully and allowed Hange to interrogate Eren more. It took a couple of minutes of questioning and intense blushing from the younger soldier until they finally reached the conclusion that Hange needed some saliva and blood samples from the kid.

“Did your teeth turn sharp when you bit him, Eren?” Hange asked excitedly as they produced a swab to collect samples from Eren’s mouth. The captain watched the two like a hawk as his insides disapproved of having Eren open his mouth to anyone.

The younger shook his head and allowed the squad leader to inspect the insides of his mouth more. With a quick disappointed sigh because everything looked normal, Hange put away the swabs and collected their tools to take the blood sample. It was standard procedure for Hange and Eren so there wasn’t much fuss or explaining left to do.

“Alright, you’re all set Eren! Now I just need to get samples from Levi.”

The captain groaned but allowed his friend to prod him only after a strict reassurance that the squad leader thoroughly cleaned their hands. Eren watched curiously from the side and wondered if something will come up with the results. The boy was terrified that he might have turned his mate into a titan shifter like him.

“Do you think I passed on my abilities to the captain?” Eren muttered as he fiddled with his key.

The squad leader hummed thoughtfully as they secured the samples from Levi. “That’s actually my main theory but we can’t be too sure just yet. Oh, hey! Why don’t you try transforming, Levi!?”

“What the fuck.” Levi growled dangerously. “I’m not doing stupid shit like that!”

“Oh, come now, Levi! Your titan mate will take care of you! If you do transform then Eren will make sure to handle you and I’ll even get my gear to pull you out! We should call Erwin!”

“That’s another thing, idiot!” The captain hissed in disdain as he pulled himself away from Hange, “The titan mate shit. Is it real?”

Hange grinned maliciously and grabbed a scalpel from their tool box. “Oh, I don’t know. It’s kind of hard to determine things with so little information. Come now, Levi! Let us open you up prettily and see if you can turn. We’ll do it outside if you like!”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing!?” Levi shouted as he backed away from the dangerously close scalpel. He was prepared to kick the shit for trying to get their hands on him when a low growl emitted from their side stopped the two from their tracks.

Eren’s eyes glowed a dangerous dark gold as he eyed the squad leader and his mate. His teeth were starting to sharpen a bit as he barred his growing fangs. Hange squealed in delight as Eren made more threatening sounds that made the captain concerned.

“Eren, calm down.” The shorter male commanded.

The titan shifter blinked a bit and hid his pointy teeth hesitantly. Hange cooed at Eren as the warning growls lessened gradually. “Oh, look at him! Aren’t you just adorable!? You responded exactly as how I thought you would!”

Levi blew out a breath as Hange migrated towards the slightly seething Eren. “Don’t upset him like that. What if he suddenly turns and burns your ass to the ground, huh?” The captain reprimanded half-heartedly since he knew Eren wouldn’t really hurt an innocent person no matter how fucked in the head they are.

The brunet blinked a few times as the molten gold that covered his eyes slowly dissolved into teal again. Hange was still at Eren’s face when the younger finally realized what he had done and soon erupted into bouts of apologies.

“Don’t you sweat it, sweetie!” Hange cooed softly as they patted Eren’s blotchy cheeks, “You can make it up to me by assisting your mate outside to see if he inherited your ability to transform! Though, really, there’s nothing to make up for. Stop worrying!”

Eren stared dumbly at the squad leader then turned his head to Levi for some guidance. The teary eyed innocent look of Eren made Levi want to jump him but the captain restrained himself. The brat was too cute for his own good. How the hell did he manage to resist him this long?

“Out we go before Levi decides to further mess my office with sweat and cum!” Hange stated airily as they skipped towards the door with a very confused Eren in tow. Okay, Levi really needed to stick a fork down their friend’s throat.

The breeze of the night was cool but not as annoyingly cold as those during autumns or winters. The three managed to reach a certain distance away from the dormitories just in case Levi does turn into a titan. A lot of height jokes were made and Hange barely escaped with their life. The squad leader is just thankful that they’re the only one with full gear or else Levi would swipe Hange dead before the other could scream for help.

“Okay, okay. No more 6 foot titan theories!” Hange laughed as they ran away from Levi.

“Say that again to my face and we’ll see just how thick your skull is.” Levi growled.

Hange cackled yet again but was quick to recover when they spotted Moblit from faraway.

“Moblit! Be ready to run to Erwin when Levi turns into a titan, okay?” The squad leader shouted as they waved enthusiastically at the panicking assistant.

“What the—Squad Leader!?” Moblit panicked.

Levi pulled out a blade from the back pocket of his pants and eyed it as he tested his grip on the weapon. Eren made worried noises at the back of his throat again which tore at Levi’s heart. He really didn’t like seeing Eren too distressed.

“I’m fine, Eren. It’s just a tiny slice.” Levi assured the other as the captain wrapped an arm over the brunet’s waist.

“I’m just really worried. You’re not mad at me for this, are you?” Eren asked as he worried his bottom lip.

The captain shook his head as he squeezed Eren’s side comfortingly, “Suffering through a limp was a bitch so I appreciate the fast healing. Besides, I’d love to see the top brass die from a heart attack once they hear about this.”

Eren smiled lightly and nuzzled against Levi’s hair before letting go of his mate. Hange watched the scene knowingly and gave a thumbs-up for Levi to try to transform whenever he’s ready.

Levi calmly drew blood and concentrated on a goal. His mind provided him with images of Eren being kidnapped, of his squad falling victim to a rampaging titan, and his pure burning will to protect everyone from the filth that were titans. Eren, on the other hand, watched warily as he waited for the telltale blow of steam but nothing came. Hange looked just as confused as Eren as well.

“Well, that was fucking anti-climactic.” Levi muttered as he watched the wound on his hand disappear gradually with the rising steam. Looks like the healing ability was all that he absorbed from Eren.

Eren sagged in relief as Hange complained how boring everything was. The boy didn’t really care anymore and ran towards Levi to envelop the other in a tight hug. The captain allowed himself to be embraced for a while until he had to physically claw himself out because Eren was a fucking furnace and it was too hot for cuddling.

“I guess that’s it then. You’re pretty much limited to Eren’s regenerative healing but not to transforming.” Hange whistled as they eyed the wound. Moblit came running to the scene just to check if Hange didn’t do anything harmful.

Levi nodded as Eren examined the wound with a worried frown. “But you haven’t answered if the mating thing is a hoax or what.”

“Ah, well, it’s most probably true judging from all the accounts we’ve taken from various generations of soldiers regarding pairing titans. Eren also went through the courting stage of both humans and animals even if you were oblivious about it; plus his body is physically changing to a more extreme level to protect specifically you. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that everything leads back to you, grumpy!”

“Does that mean he’s stuck with me forever?” Levi muttered lowly, not liking the idea that Eren might have mistakenly tied himself to the grumpy soldier.

Eren looked up from his examination and smiled brightly at his mate, “Only if you’ll have me, sir.”

Hange laughed loudly as Moblit eyed the three warily. “Oh shit! Was that a proposal, Ackerman? Crap, look at that Moby! He’s blushing! What a cute bride!”

Many will remember this as the night that Hange and Moblit screamed for their lives as they woke the entire barracks including a very disgruntled commander. Eren desperately yelled for help as Levi unrelentingly hunted his pony-tailed friend and their assistant to cut them to pieces. Thankfully, Erwin and the rest of the Special Operations Squad were able to subdue the captain but only with the help of the manipulative pouting face of Eren.

Needless to say, humanity was given yet another reminder not to mess with Levi Ackerman and his mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know about you guys but I enjoyed writing the last bit of the ending!
> 
> Also... poor Moblit.


	10. I love you, Captain Levi!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All stories must come to and end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I seriously wanted to update this earlier but I was extremely busy for the whole weak and AO3 didn't want me to sign in for some reason. Fortunately, I was able to open this after a full day of begging for death because wtf is that error that keeps popping up.
> 
> Also just a warning that I'm not confirming any other side ships in this fic. It's really up to the readers to decide if it's to their taste or not. You may also listen to "Snow in August" from the Nanny McPhee movie if you're reading this since it's basically what I've been listening to while writing this. Yay for the timely Christmas fic!
> 
> [Written mostly in Levi's POV]

A thick blanket of snow draped cosily atop the brick rooftops and bare cold grounds of the barracks. What was once tolerable cold slowly began to creep on the battered limbs of the soldiers who were out to get more firewood for the countless fireplaces scattered over the camp.

Eren muttered under his breath as he enviously eyed the bigger batch of firewood that Mikasa effortlessly carried on her back. The girl only quirked a brow and kicked him in the shin for the trouble.

“It’s not like it’s new for me to be carrying more.” Mikasa stated blandly as the two trekked back to the barracks.

The brunet huffed a warm breath and scowled even further as he adjusted the load that was attached to his back. Eren really wanted to gather more than he already had but Mikasa always seemed to be better than him.

The younger Ackerman smiled slightly at her brother who was silently throwing tantrums, “It’s not a competition, Eren. I’m sure the captain wouldn’t abandon you for gathering such small bundle of wood.”

“What!? Mikasa, you’re so mean!” Eren growled and ignored the laughing raven haired girl.

The bickering eventually died down to a comfortable silence as tiny snowflakes started to float down to kiss their icy skin. Eren laughed and giggled as the tiny icicles lightly prickled his nose. It was adorable to watch the brunet act so childishly since Mikasa had seen how the burden of becoming Humanity’s last hope had dragged down her adoptive brother. She was loath to admit that the steady relationship of the young shifter with the captain also helped Eren regain his optimism.

“Eren, you haven’t been staying up all night, have you?” Mikasa inquired as her steely eyes glared at the soft dark lines forming under Eren’s eyes. It was barely there but nothing would get past the girl’s notice.

“Huh?” Eren grumbled almost sleepily as he scrubbed his eyes. “I’m fine. What are you talking about?”

“Your ears are red. You’re obviously lying.”

“No, I’m not!” Eren protested as he covered his ears with gloved hands, “Leave me alone! Jeez!”

Mikasa was about to protest when she noticed that they were already near a small shed located near the stables. Armin and Jean were busy chatting up each other as they carefully stacked the firewood that they collected themselves.

“Hey guys!” Armin excitedly greeted as he rubbed his hands to regain some warmth.

Eren smiled and put down his own pile next to Mikasa’s. Of course, Jean was being a shit so he really had to comment on the amount of firewood Eren collected compared to his sister’s. One day Eren will really have to eat the bastard to shut him up.

“That is a lousy pile, Jaeger. Why are you making Mikasa do all the work?” Jean snorted as he toed the small pieces of wood that tumbled off from the stack.

Eren glared at the other and scoffed, “We can’t all be pack mules, Kristein.”

“Seriously getting tired of your horse jokes. Don’t you have more creative ones?”

“I did say pack mules, dumbass. There’s a difference.”

Mikasa sighed and broke apart the argument before it got out of hand. Thankfully, Armin was more than willing to distract the hot-headed soldiers with his plans of helping out Eren with a surprise for the captain. Jean relented to the change of topic only because he really didn’t want Mikasa to punch his face off.

“What’s this about a surprise?” Jean asked as he blinked at the very excited Armin.

“The captain’s birthday is coming up soon! Eren and I are conspiring with the others to prepare for the celebration since his birthday will also coincide with Christmas!”

Jean grunted a confirmation as he eyed a very distressed Eren who was violently kicking the ground. Mikasa also noticed the brunet’s dilemma and frowned worriedly at her brother.

“Are you okay, Eren?”

The brunet snorted and tugged his thick coat closer in an attempt to get warmer, “He didn’t even tell me when his birthday is. I had to beg the commander to tell me, the bastard!”

Armin laughed behind a closed fist as Jean’s eyebrow reached his hairline, “Okay, ignoring the fact that Eren just called the captain a bastard, what are you guys planning to do? Did Commander Erwin say anything?”

“Of course!” Armin cheered like a kid boasting his new toy, “Eren and I personally talked to the commander and he gave us his permission to proceed! Commander Erwin is such a kind man.”

Jean whistled appreciatively and messed up Armin’s hair as he congratulated the blond for all the effort of planning ahead. Armin blushed and laughed at being praised as he tried to half-heartedly swat Kristein’s hand.

“Oh, Maria. You are so fucking gay, Jean.” Eren smirked as he eyed the interaction of the two.

“Wow, that’s rich coming from the guy who constantly has his superior’s dick up his ass!” Jean retorted as he side-stepped away from Armin.

Mikasa glared at Eren who was about ready to grab the other’s collar, “Don’t even think about answering that. The walls are too thin and I don’t need further confirmation from you.”

* * *

 Commander Erwin Smith prided himself in many things and that included not wilting to the glare of the infamous Captain Levi Ackerman. Many could not boast that they did not piss their pants when subjected to such deathly glare but the commander easily ignored it without breaking a sweat.

“Are we clear now, Levi?” Erwin smiled easily as he leaned to his desk with intertwined fingers.

Levi glowered at the commander, “No we are not fucking clear, shitwin. Why do I have to go within the walls? Last time I checked, there’s a bunch of willing lapdogs out there who’d be more than willing to do you a favor.”

Erwin laughed at his friend as he shook his head, “Levi, there’s nothing wrong with a change in routine. Besides, it’s a very important document that I had to personally call you in myself. I’m sorry if it disrupted your... other activities but I’m sure you can make it up to Eren.”

“You cheeky shit.” Levi muttered bitterly.

The blond commander grinned as he stood up from his seat, “The trip will only take a full day and a half. I’m sure if you leave early then you can go back and apologize to Eren for what you did.”

Levi’s brows furrowed even more as he eyed the too amused bulk of blond eyebrows. How the hell did he know about the unnecessarily blown up argument Eren and the captain had?

“Should I even waste my breath and ask you how you knew about that?”

Erwin simply smiled and held out the sealed envelope Levi was supposed to deliver. The captain sighed heavily and took the item away from Erwin’s hands before saluting half-heartedly and exiting the office. The commander let out a sigh of relief when his short friend finally left, it was incredibly stressful handling Levi when December hits. Eren and Armin better make good use of the time he just bought for them.

It didn’t take long for Levi to pack up nor order around a bunch of brats to ready his horse for him. As much as possible, Levi just wanted this short trip to be over and done with since his toes are getting violently nipped by the frost and he hated it. All the captain wanted to do was to curl up next to his obnoxiously warm mate and maybe tease the little shit as a weird way of apologizing.

Levi sighed for the umpteenth time today as he remembered their little fight a few days ago. Eren had been insistent about knowing when the captain’s birthday was, to the point that the ill-tempered brat threw major tantrums that Levi easily evaded. His birthday has always been a sore subject and Levi didn’t have any interest in celebrating it so he refused to tell Eren anything. The result was a very displeased titan mate who banned Levi from copulating with Eren. Needless to say, Levi was getting a little tense because of the lack of intimacy.

“Captain! Your horse is ready, sir!” called a young cadet who was probably a few years younger than Eren himself.

Levi nodded at the enthusiastic blonde girl as he was lead to the stallion which was already carrying the captain’s necessities for the trip. Levi had just pushed himself up his horse when a nervous call from the nearby stables caught his attention. The captain could easily see that it was Eren who was jogging up to meet Levi. A pool of warmth flooded the older man as he watched his mate run towards him despite the fact that Eren had been visibly pissed at the other for keeping secrets from him.

The blonde cadet smiled as Eren finally arrived a few steps away from Levi who was sporting an impassive face to hide the smile that was threatening to show. Eren looked positively adorable with his unruly chocolate colored hair matted against his forehead and slightly powdered with freshly fallen snow.

“You’re leaving? Where are you going?” Eren asked a bit frantically as he approached his mate.

Levi cracked a tiny smile and nodded, “I’m going to the outer city to give some shit document to an important person. I’ll be back by tomorrow morning or afternoon if the damn weather doesn’t worsen.”

The brunet frowned deeply, “That’s very sudden.”

“Yeah, well, tell that to Erwin. He’s being a gigantic ass and it’s pissing me off too but we’ve got no choice in the matter, right?”

Eren nodded and saluted the captain fiercely, “Please take care, sir!”

Levi was momentarily shocked by the clear worry and spark of something the captain couldn’t point out that his cold facade broke. Eren was still looking at him, in the stance of a respectful salute to a superior. The damn brat’s eyes were so expressive that Levi didn’t need to hear words from the shifter to know what the other was feeling. Eren’s turquoise eyes screamed a plea that the shorter male could not ignore.

“Come here, Eren,” coaxed the captain as Eren’s face contorted to a confused look but nevertheless obeyed Levi’s order. The boy was startled when cold gloved hands ruffled his tousled hair and effectively brushed away the soft snow that resided on his head.

Eren was about to voice his protest when the fingers that slipped into his messy locks pulled his head in an easy angle to kiss. The captain’s slightly cold lips pressed against Eren’s warm ones which coaxed the other to open to the greedy superior. The brunet groaned appreciatively and allowed Levi to suck on his tongue before getting abruptly pulled away.

Levi’s intense gaze never left Eren’s slightly dilated eyes. The kiss was obviously an apology and a promise to return with something good. The young shifter licked his lips and nodded as confirmation that he understood what Levi meant.

“I’ll be waiting for you, okay?” Eren smiled and Levi had never wished so desperately for time to fast forward. 

* * *

 The mess hall was bustling with activities as various young soldiers helped arrange the setup of the room to accommodate the plans made by Armin. Reiner and Bertolt made use of their height as they tiptoed and strung up various garlands made up from dried vines and colored paper. Krista made sure everything was symmetrical as she instructed the two on how to pin them to the walls.

“Come on, boys! I said upper left not upper right.” Krista complained while suppressing a chuckle as Bertolt almost tripped and pushed Reiner further to the side.

Mikasa watched the scene fondly as she carried more of the chairs to the open spaces. Jean was nice enough to offer help which the girl accepted but with the condition that the other will shut up about Eren’s relationship with the captain. Ymir sat idly near Krista as she fiddled with more of the decorations that the short blonde girl insisted was necessary.

“This is stupid,” Ymir groaned as she tied up what was supposed to look like flower decorations made out of dried paper, “How do we even know that the captain will be okay with parties? Isn’t he some kind of recluse who doesn’t want people poking into his life?”

Krista clicked her tongue and tugged at Ymir’s ear for the comment, “Don’t be like that! Besides, we can always tell him it’s a celebration for the successful expeditions as well! The man deserves a break and we’ll give it to him no matter how... well, terrifying the possible consequences.”

“Such a goddess.” Ymir laughed as she gently swatted Krista’s hand away.

The door suddenly burst open and a rush of cold wind sent Reiner and Bertolt hurtling downwards in an embarrassing mix of shrieks and curses. Ymir laughed loudly at the mess as Krista tried to help and untangle the two from the combination of vines and other garlands.

“Are you guys okay!?” Armin asked worriedly as he trudged towards the scene, leaving messy snow trails in his wake that had Eren scrunching up his nose in displeasure.

“I’ll be better if Bert can get off me.” Reiner wheezed as he tried to push off his friend from his chest before he faints like an idiot.

Bertolt stuttered an apology and helped Krista untangle the mess of vines so that he could remove himself from Reiner. “S-Sorry about that, Krista. You’ve been working on these decorations for hours and now it’s ruined.”

“Oi, shit!” Reiner cursed lowly. “Someone close the door before the captain catches us!”

Eren stepped in and helped the poor girl while he explained that they had at least a full day and some spare hours before the captain comes back from his impromptu assignment within the outer city.

“How cruel, Eren.” Krista frowned as she patted the brunet gently, “You two have already ignored each other because of your fight and now he has to go far away. I’m sure you miss him already.”

Eren smiled genuinely at his caring blonde friend but shook his head, “It’s okay. I made him wait for me for so long; a few days won’t be too bad. Besides, this is how the commander’s helping us for his birthday so we have to use it wisely.”

“Armin’s power of persuasion is impressive.” Jean snorted, “I wonder what he did for the commander to make him easily sway to Arlert’s will.”

Armin’s cheeks brightened as the group laughed at the implication. The blond kept hitting Jean with closed fists as he whined about how the commander was not that type of man and that Armin would never voluntarily do such a thing.

Eren watched the scene fondly and deeply wished that his mate was here beside him. The fact that the two had to part with so much things unsaid has left a huge hole in Eren’s heart. A whimper of longing and pain rose out of Eren before he even noticed it.

“Eren, what was that? Are you hurt?” Mikasa asked worriedly as she dropped right beside her brother. The two were thankful that everyone else was so busy with the pointless banter between Jean and Armin to notice that Eren had made inhuman sounds.

The brunet sighed and fidgeted with Mikasa’s crimson scarf, “Krista’s right. He just left this morning but I already miss him. I feel like shit.”

“He’ll come back, Eren.” Mikasa helpfully supplied as she slung a comforting arm over the brooding shifter, “And if he doesn’t, then I’ll personally drag him all the way here.”

Eren snorted and slumped towards his sister, “Not if I find him first.”

* * *

 The address that Erwin gave Levi has pointed the man into the direction of a small cottage home nearly at the edge of the city. The snow in these parts had grown thick, mainly because the pathway leads outward to small farms unlike those huge brick roads being used as the main passage to get in and out of the city.

Levi was further surprised to see a very pregnant woman come out of the house to escort the captain inside to get warm. He recognized this woman as a soldier of the Survey Corps, Hannah. She was one of the top candidates that Levi had personally chosen from to form the Special Operations Squad but her recent marriage with another Survey Corps soldier had kicked her off the list since they planned to have a family.

“I’m so glad you arrived without complications, sir.” The woman said easily as she led the captain to an available chair. The fire cackling pleasantly on the hearth had brought much comfort for Levi’s freezing limbs but he was itching to leave as soon as possible.

There wasn’t much said between the two since Erwin did not tell him much. Thankfully, Hannah did not need further instructions and had willingly taken the document off of Levi’s hands. With a click of his tongue, the captain noticed that the sun had almost completely disappeared and his journey back to the barracks would be an annoyingly long one.

“There is an available room for you to stay in, Captain Levi. The snow is going to get more brutal tonight, I think.” Hannah had offered worriedly as she pressed a soothing warm hand against her swollen belly. Levi slightly blinked at the sight as his mind provided him with images of a certain teal eyed brunet cradling a babbling baby in his arms.

“I’m sorry,” Levi apologized with a steady voice, “I have someone to go home to.”

The woman smiled knowingly as she recalled the greatest secret of the Survey Corps. Everyone had pitched in to sworn secrecy not to let the news of the captain and their resident shifter being committed to each other let out into the open.

“Then I won’t keep him waiting for you, sir. I wish you a safe journey.”

“Hannah.”

“Yes, sir?”

The captain hesitated slightly as he let the sound of the soft howling wind and cackling fire soothe his nerves. Levi hated being open to anyone who isn’t close to him but the two idiot friends he had were also inexperienced when it comes to long term relationships. He’d be damned before he lets whatever bond he has with Eren be destroyed because he was not properly equipped to face this kind of responsibility.

“Committing your whole life to another soldier... what’s it like?”

Hannah smiled warmly as she continued to rub gently on her baby bump, “It’s the most wonderful thing, sir. I couldn’t possibly put it into words.”

The captain merely nodded, face still frozen in complete pretention of apathy despite the inner turmoil pulling him apart. He supposed that soldiers didn’t have the time to mull over feelings despite being forced into a domestic life.

The pregnant woman seemed to sense Levi’s predicament and calmly walked closer to her superior. She stretched a loving hand on his arm, “If it helps make things a bit clear... being married to my husband is a new type of freedom that I thought I would never experience within these walls.”

Levi blinked from his inner stupor and gazed at the woman’s achingly familiar bluish green eyes. She smiled at him and stepped back, “It’s a choice that I definitely won’t regret.”

A tiny smile cracked the raven haired man’s impassive facade.

_A choice with no regrets, huh?_

* * *

 Thankful for the few hours of rest, Levi trekked back to the barracks with a new sense of awareness in his head. The snow had piled up across the streets and the noise of the city had dwindled into soft hushes of whispers as the rest of the population slept away the rest of the night.

It was no doubt to the man himself that he was impatient to go home and it was all because of Eren. How strange it was to finally have a motivation to return to the headquarters that didn’t involve duty or self-preservation. For the longest time, Levi had only trudged back to his living space because he had no other option. Now, he had Eren to worry about and for some reason it felt right.

“What a shitty brat,” Levi chuckled to himself, “turning me into such an old sap.”

The captain’s stallion made a soft snort in reply as if to say that Levi was truly being silly. All those months and perhaps years of dancing around each other should have left him at peace with himself now that he and Eren are now together; mates even. Levi didn’t exactly know what it meant but he couldn’t find it in himself to ever regret the choice of being with Eren for whatever number of years he had left.

The darkness of the skies and the lack of indoor lights signaled the captain that it was well within the night as he passed the silent cobblestone roads. It would only take a few more hours before he reached the headquarters now that his horse decided to gallop speedily through the empty streets. A few guards raised a brow at the captain but decided not to intervene. Damn shitty stationary guards reminded the captain of the danger of having Eren as his partner. People within the walls didn’t truly understand the predicament that the Survey Corps must face and the top brass would rather stick a blade down their throats before Eren and Levi could actually publicly announce their relationship.

Now he was really itching to return.

“It’s Captain Levi!” announced a brown haired soldier who was guarding the gate leading to the Survey Corps property. The heavy gates were duly opened for the scowling captain who was silently suffering from the cold and aching back. It didn’t escape his notice that a few cadets had almost tripped from running after seeing the captain.

What strange brats.

It was only when he had entered the field did Levi realize that something was definitely not right. The barracks which was bare, cold, and promised of hell, was devoid of such appearance. A carefully stringed line of candles had lit up the entrance of the property, what little stream of moonlight giving the swaying candles more help to brighten up the snow laden grounds. There were carefully scattered tables and barrels that looked suspiciously like outdoor chairs, garlands hanged beautifully on frosted lamp posts, and each door of the dormitories had wreaths which looked like they were made in haste.

“Welcome back, captain!” one of the guards from the tower had greeted as a number of soldiers began piling out of their respective cabins. Noticeably, it was lead by his scheming group of the Special Operations Squad who were more than willing to take the first hit of whatever reaction Levi had.

“What the hell is going on here?” Levi questioned as he dismounted from his horse and gave the reins to Oluo who nervously shrugged and pointed at Petra.

The strawberry blonde was unfazed and babbled about the necessity of celebrating Christmas. The captain raised a brow because the Survey Corps barely recognized the holiday since they were always out on expeditions despite the harsh winter weather. The shitty eyebrow monster must be on to something again.

“Levi!” Hange shouted from across the field while jogging tiredly, goggles limply hanging on to their sweaty neck. “Welcome to the party! So glad you made it, short stuff! Christmas waits for no one!”

The captain scowled even further and flipped Hange his middle finger while the rest of his squad laughed. Everyone acted like the celebration was a usual thing and made Levi all the more uncomfortable. He was even more surprised that the cooks were placing a decent amount of food outside for everyone to share. The younger cadets squealed in delight as their immature friends fake battled for who gets to eat first.

Levi’s attention shifted to the new group who just arrived from the mess hall. Hange eyed the captain with a smirk on their face as they nudged the shorter male who was too focused on searching for his mate.

“Looking for your other half?”

“Shut your face, moron. I have every right to.”

Mikasa and Armin were running towards the group while the rest of their friends visibly awed at the decorations that adorned the Survey Corps for the first time in many years. The blond mini-Erwin was too happy for his own good as he dragged a frowning Mikasa.

“Sir!” Armin saluted perfectly as Mikasa copied the movement with less vigor.

“At ease, Arlert.” Levi replied with a wave of his hand, “Since no one is giving me a straight answer, would you know who is responsible for this shit?”

The blond soldier bit back a smile, “I’m responsible for the half of it, sir.”

“Oh?” Levi raised a brow as Petra laughed behind her hand, “And who is the other principal offender?”

Mikasa stepped in and locked her careful gaze on the captain, “Eren, sir. He said he wanted to see you to explain everything. I sincerely hope you won’t do anything too drastic.”

The older Ackerman clicked his tongue, “I’ll handle my own brat. Point me to where he is so I could grill Erwin next.”

Mikasa didn’t seem satisfied with the answer but Armin told the captain nevertheless. Levi had hastily left his squad with Hange and the younger soldiers as he made a beeline for the secluded area of the training grounds where his stubborn brat was currently staying in. Hange’s evil cackle was not helping his nerves calm down as he stomped away in search of Eren.

The captain was rewarded with the huddled form of Eren who was neatly arranging a tray of hot tea and biscuits, all the while trying to balance a thick quilt draped on his shoulders. The brunet looked beautiful under the moonlight, the rigid lines of his being a soldier carefully stripped down as he patiently waited for his mate to make an entrance.

“Should I be worried that you brats are good at scheming?” Levi snorted as he inched closer to what looked like a hybrid of a camp and nest. There were fallen logs that served as benches, a small tree stump had become a table for the tray of tea, and a small cackling fire rested a couple of steps away from Eren’s feet.

The brunet turned and smiled at the captain with open arms, “Welcome home!”

Levi smiled and allowed his young mate to pull him under the covers. The small ‘I’m home’ could barely be heard from his chapped lips but Eren seemed to pick up on it anyway and snuggled more to warm the raven haired man who was slightly shivering from the cold.

“I missed you.” Eren declared sincerely and Levi suddenly felt like an ass for ignoring the brunet because of such a petty fight. The brat was too good for him.

The captain didn’t answer his mate but the younger soldier seemed content with their shared silence. The background noises of what sounded like a joyous celebration at the other side had left the two feeling secured and happy. The Survey Corps was now their makeshift ragtag family and they were thankful that the year ended with minimal casualties.

“I brought you here cause I knew you didn’t like big crowds.” Eren whispered into Levi’s hair, “You’re such a killjoy though. You really are an old man— Ow!”

“Don’t push your luck, kid. I can still kick your ass.” Levi answered with a smirk after flicking his mate’s forehead a bit painfully. Eren pouted and stuck out his tongue that had the captain laughing.

“I take it that my steaming pile of shit friends helped you and coconut blondie to set this up?” Levi asked a fidgeting Eren who relentlessly fiddled with the warm quilt.

Eren heaved a heavy sigh and pleadingly looked at the captain, “I just don’t understand why you hate this so much. I know you’re going to be pissed but I just wanted the both of us to enjoy a little bit of time before shit hits the wall, you know?”

Levi cracked a tiny smile.

“Besides, I just realized how much I don’t know you. It’s not exactly a bad thing and I’m just really excited to get to know you more. I mean, your birthday might remind you of something bad— Oh, gods— but I want to replace that and how was I supposed to do that on my own and—“

“Eren.”

“—what?”

“You’re babbling.” Levi chuckled.

The brunet blushed furiously and flailed his hands in front of his face to cover up his embarrassment. Levi shook his head in disbelief that he was stuck with such a cute bundle of headache but let the brat have his time to calm down on his own.

“Damn, I’m crap at words.” Eren sighed and unceremoniously dropped his head on Levi’s shoulder.

The captain snorted as he patted the soft locks of chocolate brown hair, “You and me both. Aren’t we such a lovely pair?”

The shifter made a soft grunt of defeat and let himself be petted and spoiled. Eren was truly at loss on how to properly express himself to the aloof captain. Most of the time, he’d rather face situations head first and ask questions later. It was only when Levi had permanently resided in his life that Eren realized this was something he couldn’t just hope for the best. The small crystal that dug into his pants pocket reminded him of his own choice. The brunet smiled at the thought.

“Hey, Levi... since I can’t put it into words, maybe I can show you.”

Levi blinked slightly as Eren sat up, “We can’t fuck in the cold, Eren.”

“W-What!?” Eren sputtered indignantly, “That’s not what I meant! Quit ruining the mood!”

The captain hid a smirk behind a closed fist and Eren automatically knew that his mate was messing with him again. It was nice to know that Levi felt comfortable and secure enough to let the younger see his vulnerable side. Eren’s determination had further sparked. The boy realized that this was just the beginning of their chapter together as a couple and a thrill shot up his spine at the thought. Being with Levi felt like he was flying and gliding through the recently discovered forest, a commitment that made him taste freedom.

Levi was slightly concerned by the silence but allowed the shifter to maneuver his open palms right on top of Eren’s lap. The brunet plucked a glistening stone tied to a black leather string and placed the item on top of Levi’s warm hands.

“Eren, what—“

“It’s a piece of me,” Eren explained calmly as his turquoise eyes gazed lovingly at the crystal, “I have nothing else to give that’s worthy. I don’t own much and this is all I have left so please accept this for your birthday.”

The older Ackerman was left stunned as he lifted the gift from his hands with trembling delicate fingers. It was impossible for Eren to own precious stones since the Survey Corps would not be able to afford him that, which only meant one thing. The stone was bright and jagged, swirling with the colors of green and blue in perfect harmony as they twinkled under the moonlight. It looked so much like Eren’s eyes.

“Eren, is this your—“

Levi didn’t have to finish the sentence as he gazed upon his young mate. There were dark bags under his slightly sunken eyes, tracks of scars from titan shifting could be seen if someone looked closely enough, but the gleam of the Caribbean blue eyes never wavered. The brat had been transforming with Hange in order to perfect his hardening and it became fruitful.

The precious crystal being offered to Levi was Eren himself.

_‘I offer up my heart to you’_

For the second time in Levi’s life, he was able to feel deeply that his eyes stung. The last time he cried was for the loss of a family that he struggled to keep together but eventually lost to the cruelty of fate but it was now replaced with immense happiness. He stared dumbly at the brunet as his eyes watered and his chest scrambled to keep up with the emotions wringing him dry.

Eren was the first to burst into tears and tackled Levi as he repeatedly told the raven haired man how much he wanted to protect him. The titan shifter shook heavily and promised to stay by Levi’s side; that he will fight tooth and nail for them to get a decent ending despite the horror story they’re living in.

Levi knew that these promises were fleeting and could be easily trampled on in just a blink of an eye, a wrong snap of cables, overconfidence that led to a titan’s mouth or even a bullet to the head if they were sentenced to death for their relationship. However, taking risks had always been part of their line of work and they’d be damned before they let anyone else rip them of their newfound freedom.

The older man curled in on Eren who was shivering with barely suppressed sobs. There were so many things that were left unsaid between them and the frightening emotional distance that they suffered had pulled a moment of realization for both. They finally made a decision which they vowed to never regret.

“With a brat like you, I’m sure they’d have a hard time detaching you from me.” Levi whispered as he pressed a soft kiss on top of Eren’s head.

The younger soldier made cooing noises at the back of his throat and pressed his face firmly against Levi’s chest, “And with a grouchy man like you, they’d be dead before they could even think about it.”

Levi laughed openly for the first time and Eren felt himself shiver at the beauty of the deep voice.

“Say, Eren.”

“Yes?” Eren answered curiously as he peeked at the captain.

Levi smiled and brushed away the messy bangs from Eren’s forehead, “Do you love me?”

The brunet blinked at the question because he could clearly remember the many times he incessantly babbled his love for Levi while they were making love— _oh_. Of course, the two never really said it to each other outright without the pretense of a joke or in the heat of skin slapping against skin.

“Yes, of course I love you.”

“Glad to hear.” Levi replied smoothly.

It was then that Eren remembered the same questions Levi asked of him right after the boy was beaten to a bloody pulp in the court room. How fascinating it was that back when he was merely a fifteen year old, Eren had faced the kind of violence Levi was capable of and now, he was wrapped up in his superior’s arms and being kissed gently. The brunet crooned at the attention and was happy that this was their first step in rewriting their bloodied pages.

It was a story of love and pain that burned bright in the forests of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That marks the end of my first multi-chaptered ereri fic. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who followed the story and kept commenting! I am so glad that you enjoyed this fic since it practically is a monster of first times for me. There's more ereri fics to come this Christmas so hopefully you guys get to enjoy that too!
> 
> Stay awesome and uh, advance happy holidays!
> 
> Edit (11/14/17): 
> 
> Omg, guys. The flood of kudos and hits just knocked me off my seat! Thank you!  
> This is honestly just a feel good fic so I apologize if it felt kinda lacking in substance ^^;;;  
> But yes!! I appreciate the support so much! Much love!


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